THE COMPARISON OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS IN MSW LANDFILLING AND INCINERATION USING LCA IN DIFFERENT HEALTH SYSTEMS
By
Ahmad Alqassim
Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences in the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
Tulane University
Nov/30/2015
Abstract
Introduction: Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a complicated process that involves many technological options. In this review, we studied three different health systems effects regarding the impacts of MSW incineration and landfilling as models of managements on three environmental health measures, including global warming (GWP), acidification (AP), and nutrient enrichment (NEP) potentials. We further investigated whether such differences change our approach in the selection of the appropriate management option.
Materials and Methods: Life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted here to assess the environmental health impacts through all MSW management stages from production till treatment and disposal through four main phases: goal and scope, life cycle inventory, life cycle impact assessment and interpretation.
Results and Discussion: We found that the results are similar in two countries, Brazil and China where the GWP, AP and NEP were higher in landfills than in incinerators while in Canada the opposite was true. This indicates that the health standards and policies in the countries determine the environmental health impacts of these technologies.
Conclusion:
Municipal solid wastes are leftovers made by the population such as food, plastic bottles, household wares and many more. These items referred by most as “the garage” or “trash”. (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2015) In the early 1900’s, incinerators were used to burn waste however by the Mid-20th century, lawmakers enacted the first government regulations in an attempt to address increasing concerns about the environmental impact of unregulated waste management practices. With the first waste management legislation being passed in 1965, brought along the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, thus bringing us into a new world of waste management.(Vault, n.d.)
Scout’s Importance Jean Louise Finch, or Scout, plays a significant role in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The novel explores themes like racism, feminism, and maturation, all intertwined with Scout's life. It talks about her personal growth and development through her narration, which is critical to the story. Scout’s innocence is the main reason why she is important. It’s clear she plays an important role in the story since she is the one we get to experience her life with.
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Environmental Protection Agency. Currently, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) governs the disposal of hazardous waste and, under Subtitle C, the EPA has developed a comprehensive program to ensure that hazardous waste is managed safely from the moment it is generated to its final disposal or “cradle-to-grave” management.
Assessments began to take place in the mid 1980’s, shortly after the site made the National Priorities list in 1983. Relevant standards and guidance levels were used to measure the effect of the Helen Kramer Landfill. The initiation of the EPA’s remedial investigation and feasibility study deemed the nature of the Helen Kramer landfill as an extreme risk to the environment, characterizing the site “by randomly placed, uncompacted, and uncovered refuse, with numerous settlement cracks which vented methane and water vapor” (2). According to the EPA, several million gallons of chemical wastes and over two million cubic yards of solid waste were estimated to have been disposed of at the landfill (2). Studies were performed by the EPA, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, federal natural resource trustees in the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to evaluate the onsite and nearby environmental effects due to the landfill. During these studies, contaminants were detected in air, sediments, and aquifers, including high levels of volatile organic compounds and heavy metals in the air and sediments. VOCS and heavy metals expose humans to carcinogens, developmental toxicants, and reproductive toxicants. The assessments also detected numerous contaminants such as (but not limited to),
Emelle, Alabama not only holds one of the biggest commercial hazardous-waste landfill in America, but African-Americans make up 90% of the population of the town. A Choctaw Native American reservation in Philadelphia, Mississippi holds a 466-acre hazardous landfill (Wright 532). These statistics have revealed the sensitive boundary between racial and social classes. Specific human factors have driven the need for change in environmental practices, such as growing human population, increased natural resource consumption, and the effluent discharges of manufacturing. This situation has resulted in a significant negative impact on world ecosystems (Dietz, Ostrom, and Stern 1907). What ties both of these critical concerns
Worthley, J. A., and R. Torkelson. "Managing the Toxic Waste Problem: Lessons from the Love Canal." Administration & Society 13.2 (1981): 145-60. Web.
High temperature is needed for proper management of infectious waste. This combustion of various health waste leaves harmful compounds such as gaseous and wastewater (Lee & Huffman, 1996). Air pollution resulting from the use of these incineration units can affects the air quality of the surrounding community (Lee & Huffman, 1996). The environmental impact of infectious waste and related waste management processes cause added health burden. These effects take the form of a vicious circle that would continue until sound environmental and ethical waste management systems are
For WM the fuel, environmental charge included on a customer’s invoice is determined by first putting in the percentage of the WM Collection Fuel Surcharge Table or WM Disposal Fuel Surcharge Table into the overall invoice charges (excluding taxes). Next the environmental percentage is put in the sum of the total invoice charges and fuel surcharge calculation (excluding tax). Landfills produce harmful gases that if breathed in by people can cause serious health issues. The gases they let off also can ignite huge fires. If the water gets contaminated, then there is a long process to get to clean again and it cost 10 million dollars. Landfills also create a toxic soup of industrial and home-cleaning chemicals. These are just some of the impacts that solid waste management has on people and environments. My group has come up with different ways to solve these
Anywhere you look around the United States landfills can be found. If you are lucky enough to pass by one, the site is probably seen reaching capacity. Sometimes you might not even see them before your nose catches the putrid scent. These landfill sites sure are not popular but they are very much a necessity to our lives. Imagine what we would do with all the trash if we did not have somewhere to go with it? Unfortunately, landfill sites do have negative side effects on the environment. Three of the top concerns related to landfills are toxins released in the air coming from items such as electronic waste, liquid trash contaminating the land and waterways, and greenhouse gas emissions like methane. With the world on watch with heightened awareness
The world population is around 7 billion people and every person produces about 4.4 pounds of waste per day. More people will lead to the increase of wastes products and then will increase the risk of environmental issues. Today, the world able to recycle only 30% of waste products. According to Environmental Protection Agency “Approximately 55% of 220 million tons of waste generated each year in the United States ends up in one of the over 3,500 landfills. Municipal solid waste landfills are the second-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States, accounting for approximately 22 percent of these emissions in 2008”
The most important component in dealing with the disposal of hazardous and solid waste is the location of the site itself. I would be extremely picky about where the disposal sites would be. I wouldn’t want them near hospitals, schools, churches or wildlife. It would be a hard process to find a location that would work. You would need multiple locations within every country and the size of the site would be based on the population numbers. I would want an area that is away from people and not near any forest to be my site of choosing. My second biggest component would be making sure the workers who would be dealing with these waste products were properly protected. I would make sure they have the needed equipment, such as suits and education to protect themselves. I would also make sure they undergo regular health screening to ensure they are in good enough health to deal with these products. The site only works if there are people there who are able to care for it. It is important that they are educated on why they are doings things in such a manner so they understand why it is key to follow protocols.
According to the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) , it defines LCA as : “an objective process used to evaluate the environmental
Hazardous waste and its proper disposal have become a major sociological problem today due to its capability of contaminating the area in which we live and its potential to be lethal to all living things. In order for the United States and the rest of the world to save itself from a potentially life threatening problem they must fix the causes which lead to the improper disposal of hazardous wastes and like materials. Some reasons that hazardous waste has become a problem in the United States today is due to the breakdown in enforcing laws for the proper disposal of such wastes, a lack of initiative on big companies behalf to spend money on proper disposal, and the ease of disposing of such wastes illegally.