6 Guidelines to Understand Liquid Waste & Hazards
Liquid waste is any kind of liquid residue left over from commercial, agricultural, or industrial enterprises. It can be pure liquid, bulky, or sludgy. In all cases, it has to be dealt with in a way other than simply pouring it into the municipal swear system or nearest river or body of water.
Liquid waste is also produced in homes, but municipal waste systems or septic tanks deal with that quite efficiently. For the other areas mentioned, the company itself has to arrange for disposing of the waste.
Keep reading to learn more about liquid waste and options when it comes to disposing of it in a legal and safe manner.
1. Common Liquid Waste & Hazards
Liquid waste is any kind of liquid residue that is hazardous to the environment or to people or animals. It’s the unwanted residue from labs, restaurants, mining operations, and industrial buildings. It can be made up of grease, surfactants, oily water, solvents, dyes and inks, pesticides, chemical or laboratory wastes, photographic waste, paint, resin, and the contents of septic tanks.
The most dangerous kinds of liquid waste is found in chemical waste like alcohols, contaminated soil, formaldehyde, quarantine waste, and corrosive substances.
Just some of the harmful effects of poor waste management systems are waste management and soil contamination, water contamination, harm to marine and animal life, and damage to humans.
2. Waste Management and Soil Contamination
Contamination to waste management locations and soil happens when hazardous liquid waste is spilled or dumped in soil, particularly solvents, pesticides heavy metals, lead, and petroleum products.
3. Water Contamination
Water is a fabulous solvent in that it can contain any number of dissolved chemicals. This means that while moving along, water can pick up pollution as it goes. As a result of improperly disposed of waste, water can contain dissolved substances like gases and chemicals. Rainfall mixes into toxic liquids and seeps into the water table or makes its way to nearby water bodies via streams. This poses a danger to animals and marine life as well as humans and the environment in general.
4. Air Contamination
On occasion, liquid waste has solids added to it and then it is burned, causing the release of gases that accumulate and contribute to the ozone layer damage. It can also be harmful to the surrounding animal and human population.
5. Harm to Marine and Animal Life
Any dumping of liquid waste impacts animal and marine life. Algal bloom contaminates and even suffocates marine life like fish and coral. Toxic chemicals that are dumped or leaked into bodies of water kill off plant, marine, and animal life either quickly or slowly. Some chemicals cause mutations in animal life. Mosquitoes feed on floating poisoned carcasses and spread disease.
6. Harm to Human Life
Those who are most vulnerable to improper liquid waste management are the children and adults who live near the facility where the waste is produced, as well as the people who work there and come into contact with the waste materials. Waste disposal workers, if they are sent in to clean up the mess, are also at risk. Side effects of exposure include cancer, visibility and respiratory problems, blood infections, skin irritation, and disease from insects and vermin that breed and feed on waste.
Proper liquid waste management really is our responsibility since all of us benefit from it; conversely, we suffer greatly in quite radical ways when it isn’t done properly. Education and awareness is imperative for humans, animals, plants, and marine life to flourish.
