Chapter 8
Integrated Solid Waste Management
ENV506
8
7
5
Environmental Health Impacts
Chapter Overview
Cha
Chapter Overview
Introduction
Impact Of Improper Solid Waste
Handling And Disposal
Public Health Problems
Physical, Chemical And
Biological Hazards Of Solid
Wastes Workers
Aesthetics Nuisance
Disease And Injury Risks For
Solid Waste Workers
Occupational Health And Injury
Issues
Environmental Health And
Injury Issues
Environmental Concerns
Health Concerns
Dumpsite Linkage To Animal
And Poultry Diseases
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Explain the impacts of various waste disposal to environment.
2. Elaborate the public health problems related to improper solid waste
disposal
3. Identify the biological, chemical and physical hazard of solid waste.
4. Explain the Environmental and occupational health and injury issue.
8.1
INTRODUCTION
All activities in solid waste management involve risk, either to the worker directly involved, or
to the nearby resident. Risks occur at every step in the process, from the point where
residents handle wastes in the home for collection or recycling, to the point of ultimate
disposal. Health risks from waste are caused by many factors, including:
•
The nature of raw waste, its composition (e.g., toxic, allergenic and infectious
substances), and its components (e.g., gases, dusts, leachates, sharps);
•
The nature of waste as it decomposes (e.g., gases, dusts, leachates, particle sizes)
and their change in ability to cause a toxic, allergenic or infectious health response;
•
The handling of waste (e.g., working in traffic, shoveling, lifting, equipment
vibrations, accidents);
•
The processing of wastes (e.g., odor, noise, vibration, accidents, air and water
emissions, residuals, explosions, fires);
•
The disposal of wastes (e.g., odor, noise, vibration, stability of waste piles, air and
water
Most diseases have exposure pathways. Most injuries have contact pathways. Interrupting
the pathways can reduce risks. In solid waste management this can be achieved by making
waste technologies more contained, reducing contaminant emissions, changing working
methods, use of protective clothing, and keeping the public and residents a safe distance
away from operations. For example, risk of respiratory infection or allergic response to
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organic dusts can be greatly reduced if transfer stations, composting and recycling process
systems are enclosed or ventilated and if workers wear respiratory masks.
8.2
Environmental impact of various waste disposal
If solid wastes are not managed properly, there are many negative impacts that may result.
Some of the most important are mentioned in the following list. The relative importance of
each depends very much on local conditions.

Uncollected waste degrades the urban environment, discouraging efforts to keep
streets and open spaces in a clean and attractive condition. Solid waste
management is a clear indicator of the effectiveness of a municipal administration - if
the provision of this service is inadequate large numbers of citizens (voters) are
aware of it. Plastic bags are a particular aesthetic nuisance and they cause the death
of grazing animals which eat them.

Dumps of waste and abandoned vehicles block streets and other access ways.

Heavy refuse collection trucks can cause significant damage to the surfaces of roads
that were not designed for such weights.
Water

Uncollected wastes often end up in drains, causing blockages which result in flooding
and insanitary conditions
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
Chapter 8
Polluted water (leachate) flowing from waste dumps and disposal sites can cause
serious pollution of surface water and ground water and water supplies.
Air pollution

The open burning of waste causes air pollution; the products of combustion include
dioxins which are particularly hazardous.

Fires on disposal sites can cause major air pollution, causing illness and reducing
visibility, making disposal sites dangerously unstable, causing explosions of cans,
and possibly spreading to adjacent property.
8.3
Public health problem related to solid wastes
i.
Flies breed in some constituents of solid wastes, and flies are very effective
vectors that spread disease.
ii. Mosquitoes breed in blocked drains and in rainwater that is retained in discarded
cans, tyres and other objects. Mosquitoes spread disease, including malaria and
dengue.
iii. Rats find shelter and food in waste dumps. Rats consume and spoil food, spread
disease, damage electrical cables and other materials and inflict unpleasant
bites. (For more information see Buckle and Smith,1994.)
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iv. Aerosols and dusts can spread fungi and pathogens from uncollected and
decomposing wastes.
v. Waste items that are recycled without being cleaned effectively or sterilised can
transmit infection to later users. (Examples are bottles and medical supplies.)
8.4
PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS OF SOLID WASTES.
i.
Waste collection workers face particular occupational hazards, including strains
from lifting, injuries from sharp objects and traffic accidents.
ii. Dangerous items (such as broken glass, razor blades, hypodermic needles and
other healthcare wastes, aerosol cans and potentially explosive containers and
chemicals from industries) may pose risks of injury or poisoning, particularly to
children and people who sort through the waste.
iii. Liquids and fumes, escaping from deposits of chemical wastes (perhaps formed
as a result of chemical reactions between components in the wastes), can have
fatal or other serious effects.
iv. Landfill gas (which is produced by the decomposition of wastes) can be explosive
if it is allowed to accumulate in confined spaces (such as the cellars of buildings).
v. Methane (one of the main components of landfill gas) is much more effective than
carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, leading to climate change.
i.
Large quantities of waste that have not been placed according to good
engineering practice can slip and collapse, burying and killing people.
ii. Former disposal sites provide very poor foundation support for large buildings, so
buildings constructed on former sites are prone to collapse.
iii. Chemical wastes (especially persistent organics) may be fatal or have serious
effects if ingested, inhaled or touched and can cause widespread pollution of
water supplies
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8.5
Chapter 8
AESTHETICS NUISANCE
i.
Waste that is treated or disposed of in unsatisfactory ways can cause a severe
aesthetic nuisance in terms of smell and appearance.
8.6
DISEASE AND INJURY RISKS FOR SOLID WASTE WORKERS
Based on data from various countries that is presented within this document.
1.
6 times more relative risk of Infectious Disease (Denmark)\74\
2.
2.6 times more relative risk for Allergic Pulmonary Disease and 1.4 for NonAllergic Pulmonary Disease (Denmark)\74\
3.
2.5 times fore relative risk for Chronic Bronchitis (Geneva in Switzerland)
4.
1.2 increased risk of hepatitis (Genoa in Italy)\47\
5.
3 times more relative risk for Parasites (India)\11\
6.
10 times more relative risk for Acute Diarrhea (Romania)\21\
7.
2 times more relative risk for Coronary Disease (USA)\17\
8.
1.3 times more relative risk for Injury (Romania)\22\
9.
5.6 times more relative risk for Accidents (Denmark)\74\
10. 10 times more relative risk for Accidents (USA)\12,43,74\
11. 1.9 times more relative risk for Musculoskeletal Problems (Denmark)\74\
8.6.1
Health Risk Factors for Solid Waste Workers
 Waste content
 fecal matter, blood, body fluids, animal
 Flesh
 hazardous chemicals and heavy metals
 volatile organic and greenhouse gases
 pressurized gas containers, munitions
 Heavy loads, lifting exertion and vibration
 Landfill slides, fires and vehicle accidents
 Noise
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OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND INJURY ISSUES
Some of the more commonly reported occupational health and injury issues in solid waste
management:
1. Back and joint injuries from lifting heavy waste-filled containers and driving heavy
landfill and loading
2. Respiratory illness from ingesting particulates, bio-aerosols, and volatile organics
during waste collection,
3. and from working in smoky and dusty conditions at open dumps;
4. Infections from direct contact with contaminated material, dog and rodent bites, or
eating of waste-fed
5. animals;
6. Puncture wounds leading to tetanus, hepatitis, and HIV infection;
7. Injuries at dumps due to surface subsidence, underground fires, and slides;
8. Headaches and nausea from anoxic conditions where disposal sites have high
methane, carbon dioxide, and
9. carbon monoxide concentrations; and
10. Lead poisoning from burning of materials with lead-containing batteries, paints, and
solders.
8.8
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND INJURY ISSUES
Some of the more commonly reported environmental health and injury issues in solid waste
management:
•
Contaminated leachate and surface runoff from land disposal facilities affecting
downgradient ground and surface water quality;
•
Methane and carbon dioxide air emissions from land disposal facilities adding to
global warming, and subsequently vector-borne disease abundance and pathogen
survival;
•
Volatile organic compounds in air emissions and inconclusive evidence on altered
cancer incidence, birth defects, and infant mortality, as well as psychological stress
for those living near solid waste incinerators or inadequately controlled land disposal
facilities;
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•
Chapter 8
Animals feeding on solid waste providing a food chain path for transmitting animal
and human diseases;
•
Uncollected wastes retaining water and clogged drains, thus leading to stagnant
waters which encourage mosquito vector abundance;
•
Uncollected wastes providing food and breeding sites for insect, bird and rodent
disease vectors
8.9
•
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
Greenhouse gases from solid waste activities – Landfills are top source of methane
GHG; refuse fleets are significant sources of CO2 and N2O.
•
Wasted recyclable materials have lost inherent energy production activities (i.e., CO2
and N2O).
•
Volatilized heavy metals (e.g., mercury and lead), dioxins and furans from open
burning dumpsites and low-standard incinerators.
•
Leachate from unlined and uncovered dumpsites contaminates ground and surface
waters.
•
Bioaerosols and dust from handling.
•
Smoke particulates from open dumping.
8.10
•
HEALTH CONCERNS
Infection – contact with human fecal matter, blood, and diseased tissue; contact with
diseased dead animal matter and manure.
•
Animal diseases – foraging of animals/birds at open dumps; recycling of slaughter
waste into animal feed.
•
Respiratory disease -- particulates and bioaerosols reduce pulmonary function.
•
Cancer -- volatilized refractory organics from landfill gases; heavy metals, dioxins
and furans from poorly controlled burning.
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Headaches – lack of oxygen and excessive CO from dumpsite decomposition and
burning.
•
Injury – wounds from sharps, traffic accidents.
Direct Contact with Waste:
Bombay, India, 1995 Significant contact during loading, no shoes or gloves
Children playing in an area of uncollected waste
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8.11
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Chapter 8
DUMPSITE LINKAGE TO ANIMAL AND POULTRY DISEASES
Avian Influenza H5N1–virus in bird secretions and excreta are long-lived. Present in
bedding and slaughter wastes, able to last week. Wild birds are carriers. Humans
susceptible through contact and ingestion.
•
Encephalopathies (Mad Cow, Sheep Scrapie) -- prion proteins in brain and spinal
materials are long lasting, even after thermal processing into animal feed. Humans
susceptible through ingestion.
•
Cattle, Sheep and Goat Foot-and-Mouth -- virus in secretions and excreta. Present in
bedding and slaughter wastes. Dogs, rats, and birds are carriers.
•
Bovine TB – bacterium in secretions and excreta. Present in bedding and slaughter
wastes. Infective to all mammals.
•
Rabbit Viral Hemorrhagic Fever –virus in rabbit blood and excreta. Present in
bedding wastes and slaughter wastes, able to last weeks. Surviving rabbits are
carriers.
8.11.1
Bio-aerosol Levels:
•
10-1000 times Higher near the truck loading hopper (Switzerland, Denmark
local studies)
•
2-10 times Higher inside materials recovery plants (USA, Finland local
studies)
• 2-4 times Higher at sanitary landfills (Italy local studies) Izmir, Turkey, 199410
8.11.2
Particulates High at Burning Dumps:
Dominican Republic, 1998 Mauritius, 1998
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8.11.3
Pulmonary Function:
•
23% Dumpsite Workers with Abnormal Pulmonary Function (India
local study)
•
40% Dumpsite Waste Pickers with Abnormal Pulmonary unction (Thailand
local study)
•
53% Dumpsite Child Waste Pickers with Abnormal Pulmonary Function
(Philippines local study) 12
8.11.4
Blood Lead Levels:
•
70% Dumpsite Children Pickers above WHO lead guideline -- children pickers
mean lead was 2.5 times higher than in control slum children (Philippines
local study) Quezon City, the Philippines, 1995
8.11.5
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Intestinal Parasite Infection Among Waste Pickers:
•
65% incidence in Bangkok, Thailand
•
98% incidence in Manila, Philippines (child waste pickers only)
•
97% incidence in Olinda, Brazil
•
92% incidence in Calcutta, India Bombay, India, 1995
Integrated Solid Waste Management
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Bombay, India, 1995
8.11.6
Slides at Open Dumps:
•
Istanbul, Turkey – 39 killed, 1993
•
O Portino, Spain – 1 killed, 250 evacuated, 1994
•
Calcutta, India – 2 killed, 1992
•
Manila, the Philippines – over 200 killed, 2000
•
Bandung, Indonesia – over 100 killed, 2005 Tashkent, Uzbekistan,
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, 2001
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EXAMPLES OF QUESTIONS
PART A:
QUESTION 1
Explain briefly TWO factors could be caused of health risks related to the solid.
waste.
QUESTION 2
State FOUR physical hazards related to solid waste management.
PART B:
QUESTION 1
Discuss the environment and health concerns in relation to the solid waste disposal.
QUESTION 2
Explain the type of occupational health and injury could be occur during the handling and
collectionn of solid wastes.
QUESTION 3
Describe how the poor management of solid waste could be a contribution factors to the
occurrence of diseases.
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