Hazardous waste
Hazardous Waste
Hazardous waste (/ˈhæzərdəs weɪst/) is a type of waste that poses substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment.
Etymology
The term "hazardous waste" is derived from the English words "hazard" and "waste". "Hazard" comes from the Old French 'hasard', meaning 'chance, luck', and "waste" comes from the Latin 'vastus', meaning 'desolate, waste'.
Definition
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a hazardous waste is a waste with properties that make it dangerous or potentially harmful to human health or the environment. The universe of hazardous wastes is large and diverse. Hazardous wastes can be liquids, solids, contained gases, or sludges. They can be the by-products of manufacturing processes or simply discarded commercial products, like cleaning fluids or pesticides.
Classification
Hazardous wastes are classified on the basis of their biological, chemical, and physical properties. These properties generate materials that are either listed as hazardous wastes, characterized as hazardous wastes, or considered as universal wastes. The EPA has listed several specific wastes as hazardous. These listed wastes are known as Listed Hazardous Waste.
Related Terms
- Biomedical waste: Any waste containing infectious materials or potentially infectious substances such as blood. Of special concern are sharp wastes such as needles, blades, and pipettes that can cause injury during disposal.
- Radioactive waste: Waste that contains radioactive material. Radioactive waste is a by-product of various nuclear technology processes. Industries generating radioactive waste include nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power, manufacturing, construction, and nuclear weaponry reprocessing.
- E-waste: Discarded electrical or electronic devices. Used electronics which are destined for refurbishment, reuse, resale, salvage recycling through material recovery, or disposal are also considered e-waste.
- Chemical waste: Type of waste that is produced from industrial chemical processes. It can be solid, liquid, or gaseous material that is discarded after use.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Hazardous waste
- Wikipedia's article - Hazardous waste
This WikiMD article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski