Botkin Environmental Science Earth as Living Planet 8th txtbk

23.10 Hazardous-Waste Legislation 539
admitted that little was known about the impact of
these chemicals, there was grave concern for people living
in the area. Eventually, concern centered on alleged
high rates of miscarriages, blood and liver abnormalities,
birth defects, and chromosome damage. The government
had to destroy about 200 homes and a school,
and about 800 families were relocated and reimbursed.
After about $400 million was spent on cleaning up the
site, the EPA eventually declared the area clean, and
about 280 remaining homes were sold. 44 Today, the
community around the canal is known as Black Creek
Village, and many people live there.
Uncontrolled or poorly controlled dumping of chemical
waste has polluted soil and groundwater in several ways:
In some places, chemical waste is still stored in barrels,
either stacked on the ground or buried. The barrels may
eventually corrode and leak, polluting surface water,
soil, and groundwater.
When liquid chemical waste is dumped into an unlined
lagoon, contaminated water may percolate through soil
and rock to the groundwater table.
Liquid chemical waste may be illegally dumped in deserted
fields or even along roads.
Some sites pose particular dangers. The floodplain of a
river, for example, is not an acceptable site for storing hazardous
waste. Yet, that is exactly what occurred at a site on
the floodplain of the River Severn near a village in one of
the most scenic areas of England. Several fires at the site in
1999 were followed by a large fire of unknown origin on
October 30, 2000. Approximately 200 tons of chemicals,
including industrial solvents (xylene and toluene), cleaning
solvents (methylene chloride), and various insecticides and
pesticides, produced a fireball that rose into the night sky
(Figure 23.16). Wind gusts of hurricane strength spread toxic
smoke and ash to nearby farmlands and villages, which had
to be evacuated. People exposed to the smoke complained of
a variety of symptoms, including headaches, stomachaches
and vomiting, sore throats, coughs, and difficulty breathing.
A few days later, on November 3, the site flooded
(Figure 23.17). The floodwaters interfered with cleanup
after the fire and increased the risk of downstream contamination
by waterborne hazardous wastes. In one small
village, contaminated floodwaters apparently inundated
farm fields, gardens, and even homes. 45 Of course, the
solution to this problem is to clean up the site and move
waste storage to a safer location.
23.10 Hazardous-Waste
Legislation
Recognition in the 1970s that hazardous waste was a danger
to people and the environment and that the waste was
not being properly managed led to important federal legislation
in the United States.
Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act
Management of hazardous waste in the United States began
in 1976 with passage of the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA). At the heart of the act is identification
of hazardous wastes and their life cycles. The idea was to issue
guidelines and assign responsibilities to those who manufacture,
transport, and dispose of hazardous waste. This
FIGURE 23.16 On October 30, 2000, fire ravaged a site on the
floodplain of the River Severn in England where hazardous waste
was being stored. Approximately 200 tons of chemicals burned.
FIGURE 23.17 Flooding on November 3, 2000, followed the
large fire at a hazardous-waste storage site on the floodplain of the
River Severn in England (see Figure 23.16 at left).