17.3 How Should Society Deal with Hazardous Waste
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
In place since 1976 and amended in 1984, RCRA regulates about 5% of all U.S. hazardous waste.
Toxic Substances Control Act
Its purpose is to regulate and ensure the safety of the thousands of chemicals used to either manufacture many products or as ingredients in many products. Under this law, companies must notify the EPA before introducing a new chemical into the marketplace.
plasma gasification
another thermal treatment method. This technology uses arcs of electrical energy to produce very high temperatures in order to vaporize trash in the absence of oxygen.
Thermal treatment methods use heat to...
detoxify hazardous waste. Incineration, or burning, is the most common thermal method.
deep-well disposal
in which liquid hazardous waste is pumped under high pressure through a pipe into dry, porous rock formations deep underground.
Phytoremediation
involves using natural or genetically engineered plants as "pollution sponges."
surface impoundments
liquid hazardous waste stored in ponds, pits, or lagoons
The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has established three priority levels for dealing with hazardous waste:
produce less, convert as much of it as possible to less-hazardous substances, and put the rest in long-term, safe storage.
In the United States, most hazardous waste is...
produced by the chemical and petroleum industries.
Due to limited funding, the EPA so far...
r has used the Toxic Substances Control Act to ban only five of the roughly 85,000 chemicals in use. Environmental and health scientists feel this law should be changed to place the burden on manufacturers.
