Hazardous Waste Management: An Overview of Advanced and Cost-Effective Solutions includes the latest practical knowledge and theoretical concepts for the treatment of hazardous wastes. The book covers five major themes, namely, ecological impact, waste management hierarchy, hazardous waste characteristics and regulations, hazardous wastes management, and future scope of hazardous waste management. It serves as a comprehensive and advanced reference for undergraduate students, researchers and practitioners in the field of hazardous wastes and focuses on the latest emerging research in the management of hazardous waste, the direction in which this branch is developing as well as future prospects. The book deals with all these components in-depth, however, particular attention is given to management techniques and cost-effective, economically feasible solutions for hazardous wastes released from various sources. - Comprehensively explores the impact of hazardous wastes on human health and ecosystems - Discusses toxicity across solid waste, aquatic food chain and airborne diseases - Categorically elaborates waste treatment and management procedures with current challenges - Discusses future challenges and the importance of renewing technologies

This second edition of EPA's bestselling book, Description and Sampling of Contaminated Soils: A Field Guide, Second Edition, has been revised and significantly expanded over the original edition. An ideal reference for anyone involved in site investigations, this guide describes how to determine the amount and extent of soil contamination and potential for movement of contaminants in the soil and groundwater. It contains checklists, tables, and step-by-step descriptions of methods and procedures for: Cost-effective, detailed site investigations for evaluating the potential for contaminant transport Field collection of information on soil engineering properties required for remediation selection and design This guide also features an adaptation of soil description procedures used by the U.S. Soil Conservation Service (SCS) for investigating contaminated sites. The SCS soil description and classification procedures, when used in combination with the Unified Soil Classification System currently used by geologists and engineers, greatly improves contaminated site assessments.

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

The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) of the State of California Environmental Protection Agency is in the process of complying with the Regulatory Structure Update. The Regulatory Structure Update is a comprehensive review and refocusing of California's system for identifying and regulating management of hazardous wastes. As part of this effort, the DTSC proposes to change its current waste classification system that categorizes wastes as hazardous or nonhazardous based on their toxicity. Under the proposed system there would be two risk-based thresholds rather than the single toxicity threshold currently used to distinguish between the wastes. Wastes that contain specific chemicals at concentrations that exceed the upper threshold will be designated as hazardous; those below the lower threshold will be nonhazardous; and those with chemical concentrations between the two thresholds will be "special" wastes and subject to variances for management and disposal. The proposed DTSC system combines toxicity information with short or long-term exposure information to determine the risks associated with the chemicals. Under section 57004 of the California Health and Safety Code, the scientific basis of the proposed waste classification system is subject to external scientific peer review by the National Academy of Sciences, the University of California, or other similar institution of higher learning or group of scientists. This report addresses that regulatory requirement.