Waste Part 2 Flashcards
What are the symptoms of Minamata disease?
Numbness, slurred speech, uncontrolled movements and sounds, coma, death
What causes Minamata disease?
Mercury in the fish from Minamata bay
When was the outbreak of Minamata disease?
1950s-60s
What are the pros of composting?
Adds nutrients, helps water retention, slows down erosion
What are the 6 steps of composting?
1) reduction
2) reuse
3) recycling
4) food and yard compost
5) municipal compost
6) landfills
What was the Khian sea?
A ship from Philadelphia that carried 14,000 tons of toxic ash
What’s a major source of ocean gyre pollution?
Rivers
Why is smaller trash a worse problem for ocean gyres?
1) enters the food chain
2) toxins leach out
3) dioxin and furan stick to plastics
4) plastics disrupt hormones
What is land treatment/ bioremediation?
Using GMOs or chemicals to break down pollutants
What’s the equation for bioremediation?
Hydrocarbons + micro-organisms = CO2 and H2O
What are the 2 types of waste?
Biological and plastic
What are 2 examples of biological waste?
Hospital waste and pharmaceuticals
What are the 6 ways to dispose of hazardous waste?
1) binding/fusion
2) distillation
3) incineration
4) filters
5) neutralization
6) bioremediation
__% of US hazardous waste comes from chemical and petroleum industries
71%
What 8 metals does e-waste generate?
1) Mercury
2) arsenic
3) lead
4) chromium
5) cadmium
6) vanadium
7) silver
8) gold
What does the Basel ban do?
Bans shipping e-waste to LDCs and requires manufacturers to accept old devices
What are 3 metal extraction techniques used in LDCs?
1) cyanide used to extract gold
2) computer wires burned for copper
3) computer frames melted in cooking pots
What happened in love canal?
Over 20,000 tons of toxic waste was buried in a canal by hooker chemical in the 40s
What did the toxins do to love canal?
They seeped into houses and playgrounds
What 3 things did the love canal toxic waste cause?
Miscarriages, birth defects, cancers
What did love canal lead to?
RCRA and CERCLA
