Bio 160 Review

CHAPTER 17
Solid Waste – made up of objects/particles that accumulate on the site where they are produced
Mining waste – generated in three primary ways
Large amounts of rock and soil need to be removed to get to the valuable ore. The waste material is left on the surface at the site
Milling operations use various technologies to extract the valuable material from the ore. The remaining waste material, aka tailings, need to be disposed of.
The water that drains or is pumped from mines or that flows from piles of waste rock or tailings often contains hazardous materials.
Agricultural waste – waste from the raising of animals and harvesting and processing of crops and trees
Industrial solid waste – demolition waste, foundry sand, scraps from manufacturing processes…
Municipal solid waste (MSW) – all the material that people in a region no longer want because they are broken, spoiled, or have no further use.
Municipal solid waste landfill – constructed above an impermeable clay layer that is lined with an impermeable membrane and includes mechanisms for dealing with liquid and gas materials
Leachate – bottom layers of new landfills that trap contaminant-laden water.
Incineration – the process of burning refuse in a controlled manner.
Mass burn – technology that incineration facilities use to burn unprocessed municipal solid waste.
Mulch - organic material that is used to cover the soil
Composting - the process of allowing the natural process of decomposition to transform organic materials into compost.
Source reduction - the practice of designing, manufacturing, purchasing, using, and reusing materials so that the amount of waste or its toxicity is reduced.
Recycling – one of he best environmental success stories of the late twentieth century.
Container laws – provide an economic incentive to recycle
Mandatory recycling laws – provide a statutory incentive to recycle
Curbside recycling – provides a convenient way for people to recycle.

Five techniques that are now used in waste disposal
Landfills
Incineration
Source reduction
Composting
Recycling

CHAPTER 18
Hazardous substance/materials – those that can cause harm to humans or the environment
Toxic ­ - materials that are a narrow group of hazardous substances that are poisonous and cause death or serious injury to humans and other organisms
Hazardous wastes – are by-products of industrial, business, or household activities for which there is no immediate use.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act – (RCRA) considers wastes toxic and or hazardous if they cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible illness…
Acute toxicity – occurs when a person is exposed to one massive dose of a substance and becomes ill
Chronic toxicity - occurs when a person is exposed to small doses over long periods.
Synergism – mixed materials that may become highly toxic and cause more serious problems than do individual pollutants.
Persistent pollutants – those that remain in the environment for many years in an unchanged condition
Non-persistent pollutant – does not remain in he environment for very long.
Threshold level –the level of exposure at which none of the test animals is affected.
Superfund – CERCLA was enacted in 1980 to deal with financing the cleanup of large, uncontrolled hazardous-waste sites and has popularly become known as superfund.
A national priorities list – of hazardous waste sites requiring urgent attention was drawn up for superfund action
Emergency planning and community right-to-know act (epcra) – this act required that certain industries in the United States had to begin reporting the release of toxic chemicals into the environment.
Pollution-prevention hierarchy – emphasizes reducing the amount of hazardous waste produced. This involves
Reduce the amount of pollution at the source
Recycle wastes wherever possible
Treat wastes to reduce their hazard on volume
Dispose of wastes on land or incinerate them as a last resort.
Pollution prevention or waste minimization – encourages changes in the operations of business and industry that prevent hazardous wastes from being produced in the first place.
Treating wastes
Neutralization
Biodegradation
Air stripping
Carbon absorption
Precipitation
Incineration – involves burning wastes at high temperatures
Land disposal – the primary method of disposal
Deep-well injection into porous geological formations or salt caverns
Discharge of treated and untreated liquids into municipal sewers, rivers, and streams
Placement of liquid wastes or sludges in surface pits, ponds, or lagoons
Storage of solid wastes in specially designed hazardous-waste landfills

Characterizing hazardous and toxic materials
Ignitability (fire hazard)
Corrosiveness (corrodes materials
Reactivity (explosives)
Toxicity (may release toxins)

CHAPTER 19
Policy – the genral principle by which government branches (executive, legislative, and judicial) are guided in their management of public affairs.
Complexity – innumerable options and trade-offs
Polarization – clashes between competing values
Winners and losers- for each policy choice, some will clearly benefit, some will be harmed, and the consequences for others are uncertain.
Delay consequences – no immediate “fix” and the benefits, if any, of painful concessions will often not be evident for decades
National vs. regional conflict – national or international priorities often differ substantially from those at the local or regional level
Ambiguous role for science – science is often not pivotal in evaluating policy options, but science often ends up serving inappropriately as a surrogate for debates over values and preferences.

Three groups that lobby industries
Monsanto and the Chemical manufacturing association (CMA)
Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)
Greenpeace