Environmental Contamination and Public Health Effects of Household Hazardous Waste

Abstract

Toxic and hazardous wastes are not only produced by the industries, but also by the household sector. Many household products contain hazardous chemicals and exhibit characteristics that render them dangerous, such as explosiveness, flammability, spontaneous combustion, reactivity, toxicity and corrosiveness. When discarded, these products become Household Hazardous Waste (HHW), which poses a potential threat to human health and the environment. HHW pose a potential hazard to living creatures because they are toxic or lethal, non-degradable or persistent in nature, and may cause detrimental cumulative effects. Even though the overall impacts of household hazardous waste disposal are not fully known but potential concerns include health problems for homeowners, children and pets from improper storage and disposal by the homeowner. Despite the serious threat to public health that it represents, HHW is not perceived as dangerous by a majority of the population. Most of HHW are currently mixed with domestic wastes, which are landfilled, incinerated or composted. If not well-managed, unpredictable negative outcomes of HHW might occur at its source (residential households), waste collection points, during transportation, and after deposit in landfills and/or incineration sites, with the potential to cause permanent damage to the environment and public health. Unfortunately, no establish regulation and standard operational procedure is available for handling HHW in most countries. This review updates the quantity of HHW generated around the world, and the potential and reported environmental and public health effects. Suggestions for reduction of HHW generation and general safety guidelines are also included.