This number becomes especially frightening when looking at the amount of hazardous waste generated and disposed of, in the United States alone, which is estimated to be 7. Between the years of and , global production of man-made chemicals increased from 1 million to million tons each year and has been steadily increasing since then. In reference to chemicals though, the terms are quite different.
To understand risk, we need to know both what the inherent hazard is and the degree of exposure. With every hazardous material, there is a risk of potential harm being done, which is increased by how much of the hazardous material is exposed to certain things.
An example being hydrofluoric acid: This chemical is used in pharmaceuticals which is generally a safe practice, however, if someone working with this acid accidentally gets it on themselves, it will likely cause 3 rd degree burns. Potential exposure to the chemical is high if the chemical is handled with bare hands without proper personal protection equipment PPE.
This creates a high-risk situation. Once we understand the risk of something, we can then either reduce it or manage it. Many businesses are not able to reduce the amount of waste they create so they must look to manage it. In the example above, a way to reduce the hazard is to handle the chemical properly and the person handling it wears the proper personal protection equipment, which lowers the risk of burns.
If a chemical is no longer needed for production, another way to lower the exposure risk is to look for the best environmental waste disposal method to minimize the impact on humans and the environment. The different ways a person can come into contact with hazardous chemicals are called exposure pathways. There are three basic exposure pathways: inhalation, ingestion, and dermal skin contact.
Since chemicals can move through air, soil and water, they can be found in the air we breathe, the soil our plants grow in, water we drink, and the food we eat.
Some common ways a person may be exposed to hazardous chemicals include:. The occurrence of adverse health effects is dependent on the way the hazardous chemical enters the body. The toxicity of a chemical also determines the effect on the body. There are many hazardous chemicals are toxic in very small amounts, whereas others can have large volumes of exposure before there is a reaction. Keep all ignition sources, such as matches, well away from the storage area.
Keep the storage area cool and dry. Buy the smallest amount for your needs. How to dispose of hazardous waste Always store hazardous wastes properly while waiting for a suitable disposal method. There are various schemes in Victoria to recycle and dispose of household hazardous waste. For example: Computers — materials used to make computer equipment contain valuable resources that can be re-used.
They also contain hazardous materials that could pose a threat to the environment if they are not disposed of in a responsible manner. In Victoria, unwanted computer equipment — monitors, keyboards, laptops, CD and disc drives — can be recycled through the Byteback scheme.
Some councils and equipment manufacturers also provide a disposal service for unwanted computers and equipment. Contact your local council or equipment manufacturer for details. Mobile phones and phone batteries — some mobile phones and accessories contain heavy metals. Mobile phone retailers, some banks and other retail stores will accept used mobile phones for recycling as part of MobileMuster, the mobile phone industry recycling program.
Rechargeable batteries — batteries can be taken to Detox your home collections and some permanent sites or to one of a small number of Batteryback or company-owned retail locations.
Car batteries — these are collected at many council waste transfer stations, landfills and some major battery retailers. Contact your local council. These cylinders can be returned through swap programs provided by retailers for replacement, refilling or disposal.
Charges may apply in some instances. Used motor oils — these can be recycled. There are over motor oil collection points at transfer stations across Victoria. You can return a maximum of 20 litres of motor oil per visit. Contact your local council or use the Oil directory. Laser and printer inkjet cartridges — these can be taken to Australia Post and Harvey Norman outlets for recycling.
Fluorescent tubes and compact fluorescent globes CFLs — fluorescent lamps and other mercury products, including mercury spills, can be taken to Detox your home collections, selected retail outlets and some permanent sites. Plastic shopping bags — supermarkets have collection bins for used plastic shopping bags for recycling. Plastic shopping bags create an ugly litter problem if not recycled or disposed of properly.
If these bags get into waterways, they may be a threat to wildlife. Unused medicines — take unused pharmaceuticals, including prescription and non-prescription drugs, to a pharmacist for disposal through the Return of Unwanted Medicines program. Always store unused pharmaceuticals out of reach of children before you dispose of them. Contact details for these services are listed in the Where to get help section. The Detox your Home household chemical disposal service Sustainability Victoria operates a mobile Detox your home service, which collects household chemicals for safe, responsible disposal or recycling.
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