The Safe Disposal Of Hazardous Wastes

Hazardous waste in the environment is one of the most difficult challenges facing our society. The purpose of this book is to provide a background of the many aspects of hazardous waste, from its sources to its consequences, focusing on the risks posed to human health and the environment. It explains the legislation and regulations surrounding hazardous waste; however, the scope of the book is much broader, discussing agents that are released into the environment that might not be classified as hazardous waste under the regulatory system, but nonetheless pose substantial hazards to human health and the environment. It provides a background of some of the major generators of hazardous wastes, explains the pathways by which humans and wildlife are exposed, and includes discussion of the adverse health effects linked to these pollutants. It provides numerous case studies of hazardous waste mismanagement that have led to disastrous consequences, and highlights the deficiencies in science and regulation that have allowed the public to be subjected to myriad potentially hazardous agents. Finally, it provides a discussion of measures that will need to be taken to control society’s hazardous waste problem. This book was designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences, including students, professionals, and general readers interested in the topic. Provides information about sources of and health risks posed by hazardous waste Explains the legislation and regulations surrounding hazardous waste Includes numerous case studies of mismanagement, highlights deficiencies in science and regulation and discusses measures to tackle society’s hazardous waste problems

This book contains the results of a three-year research programme by a joint team of experts from four different EU countries. The main focus of this research was on investigating the possibility of using abandoned underground mines for the disposal of hazardous chemical waste with negligible pollution of the environment. The contributors address many aspects that are common to underground disposal of nuclear waste, such as: the properties and behaviour of waste-isolating clay materials and practical ways of preparing and applying them, development of tools/software to assess the stability, performance, transport of contaminants inside and outside the repository, and risks associated with different repository concepts considering the long-term safety of the biosphere. Information is also included on the selection of site location, design and construction of repositories, predicting degrees of contamination of groundwater in the surroundings, estimation of isolating capacity of reference repositories, cost estimation of this approach in comparison with some other approaches, and many other relevant issues.Invaluable to researchers and engineers working in the field of hazardous (chemical) waste disposal, this title will also significantly aid experts dealing with nuclear waste.

Biosafety in the Laboratory is a concise set of practical guidelines for handling and disposing of biohazardous material. The consensus of top experts in laboratory safety, this volume provides the information needed for immediate improvement of safety practices. It discusses high- and low-risk biological agents (including the highest-risk materials handled in labs today), presents the "seven basic rules of biosafety," addresses special issues such as the shipping of dangerous materials, covers waste disposal in detail, offers a checklist for administering laboratory safetyâ€"and more.