Environmental Hazards
Joey Purdee
Environmental Hazards
Instructor – Kellie Archie
July 2, 2013
Abstract
This week we will be discussing dumps and landfills. We will first describe what is meant by open dumping and also what a landfill is. We will be discussing early to modern landfills and the differences between then and now. We will discuss what some of the problems were with early landfills and also what improvements have been made with newer landfills. Finally, we are to choose one the listed landfills and explain the innovations being implemented to make the landfill more productive and to reduce its environmental impact.
Open Dump
If someone was to ask you, “What is an open dump?” What would you say? Would you know what to tell them? An open dump is abandoned piles of household garbage, bags of yard waste, appliances, old barrels, used tires, and demolition debris can threaten the health of wildlife, the environment, and humans. They can cause such health, environmental, and safety issues as fires or explosions, the inhalation of toxic gases, injuries to children playing in or around the dumpsites (I have personal experience of cutting my foot on broken glass as a child playing in an open dump), diseases carried by flies, rodents and mosquitos, and other hazards. (Open Dumps, 1996 – 2011).
Early Landfill
Believe it or not, landfills go way back in history. Of course, back then they were called “garbage dumps.” For instance, early American settlers used to deal with their garbage by dumping it over the back fence, burying it in their back yards, or dumping it in rivers. They also would burn their garbage. (Amsel, 2005 – 2013).
We can go even further back in history with this subject. Case in point: Did you know the cause of the bubonic plague (14th century) was too much garbage in the streets? Allow me to explain. The bubonic plague, also called, the “black death,” spread through Africa, Asia, and Europe, killing 75 million people. What these people did not know at
Environmental Hazards
Instructor – Kellie Archie
July 2, 2013
Abstract
This week we will be discussing dumps and landfills. We will first describe what is meant by open dumping and also what a landfill is. We will be discussing early to modern landfills and the differences between then and now. We will discuss what some of the problems were with early landfills and also what improvements have been made with newer landfills. Finally, we are to choose one the listed landfills and explain the innovations being implemented to make the landfill more productive and to reduce its environmental impact.
Open Dump
If someone was to ask you, “What is an open dump?” What would you say? Would you know what to tell them? An open dump is abandoned piles of household garbage, bags of yard waste, appliances, old barrels, used tires, and demolition debris can threaten the health of wildlife, the environment, and humans. They can cause such health, environmental, and safety issues as fires or explosions, the inhalation of toxic gases, injuries to children playing in or around the dumpsites (I have personal experience of cutting my foot on broken glass as a child playing in an open dump), diseases carried by flies, rodents and mosquitos, and other hazards. (Open Dumps, 1996 – 2011).
Early Landfill
Believe it or not, landfills go way back in history. Of course, back then they were called “garbage dumps.” For instance, early American settlers used to deal with their garbage by dumping it over the back fence, burying it in their back yards, or dumping it in rivers. They also would burn their garbage. (Amsel, 2005 – 2013).
We can go even further back in history with this subject. Case in point: Did you know the cause of the bubonic plague (14th century) was too much garbage in the streets? Allow me to explain. The bubonic plague, also called, the “black death,” spread through Africa, Asia, and Europe, killing 75 million people. What these people did not know at
References: Amsel, S., (2005 – 2013). Too Much Trash. Retrieved from: http://www.exploringnature.org/db/detail.php?dbID=7&detID=2502 Open Dumps, (1996 – 2011). Illinois Environmental Protection Agency – Illegal Dumping – Open Dumps. Retrieved from: http://www.epa.state.il.us/land/illegal-dumping/open-dumps.html Unhabitat.org, (2008). Mariannhill Landfill Conservancy. Retrieved from: http://www.unhabitat.org/bestpractices/2008/mainview04.asp?BPID=2053 Wright, Richard & Boorse, Dorothy (2011) Environmental Science: Toward a Sustainable Future (11th Edition) Boston, Benjamin Cummings