IMPACT OF HAZARDOUS AND TOXIC WASTE
Hazardous and toxic waste, also referred to as hazardous and toxic waste, is becoming a serious enough topic to be discussed. This is because there are many cases that arise from hazardous and toxic wastes that are often underestimated by various parties, both the government and the community. A common problem that often occurs as a result of improper handling and processing of hazardous and toxic waste, resulting in serious health problems and even death. These problems usually occur due to the lack of adequate facilities and a lack of public and government awareness of how to treat hazardous and toxic wastes. Disposal of hazardous and toxic waste directly into the environment is still common due to the lack of education provided to the public. Not only that, a common problem that often occurs due to hazardous and toxic waste is during the transportation process, where leaks or spills occur. This step of the problem was solved incorrectly, and consequently harmed the surrounding environment.
The processing of hazardous and toxic waste itself has several stages that must be carried out. The following are the stages of processing hazardous and toxic waste.
From the stages of processing hazardous and toxic waste as well as the cases that occur, it can be defined that B3, according to government regulation no. 22 of 2021 concerning the management of environmental protection and management, Article 1, is a material, energy, or other component which due to its characteristics, concentration, and content can directly or indirectly damage the environment and pose a danger to the environment, health, and balance. Humans and other living things Meanwhile, the definition of hazardous waste according to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) is waste (solid) or a mixture of various types of waste (solid) which, due to its quantity and concentration, or its physical-chemical and infectious properties, can cause:
1. The onset or worsening of an incurable or disabling disease
2. A nuisance or potential hazard to human health or the environment if not properly processed, stored, transported, disposed of or managed
From two different sources, it can be seen that these regulations have explained how dangerous the impact of hazardous and toxic waste is if it is not handled and processed in accordance with the regulations listed. The United States began to set regulations on B3 processing in 1976, while Indonesia began in 1998.
There are three sources of hazardous and toxic waste according to government regulation no. 22 of 2021 concerning the management of environmental protection and management, Article 276, namely:
1. Unspecific Source
HW is produced by activities other than the main process, such as maintenance, cleaning, corrosion prevention or inhibition, descaling, and packaging.
2. Expiration, spillage, discarded materials which do not meet product specifications, used HW container
3. Specific Source
Residues from industrial processes or from other identifiable activities. Specific sources are divided into two, namely general specific sources contained in Appendix IX, Table 3 of 57 industries and particular specific sources contained in Appendix IX, Table 4 of 14 processes.
From the above definition, hazardous and toxic waste can be divided into several characteristics of hazardous and toxic waste. According to the Decree of the Minister of the Environment №14 of 2013, the characteristics included in the hazardous and toxic waste, namely “Waste which hazard the environment”. Meanwhile, according to government regulation no. 22 of 2021 concerning the management of environmental protection and management, Article 278 viz.
Many people, the government and the environment itself, especially health. The following are some cases caused by hazardous and toxic waste.
a. Love Canal, New York
Love Canal is a case of hazardous and toxic waste that occurred between 1940 and 1953, which occurred along the 2 km long estuary of Niagara Falls. The beginning of the occurrence of hazardous and toxic waste pollution was caused by the existence of a company, namely the Hooker Chemical Company, which disposed of around 22,000 tons of hazardous and toxic waste in Niagara Falls from 1942–1952. Then the disposal of hazardous and toxic wastes was stopped because in 1953 the company went bankrupt, and finally the canal was covered with land and sold to the city government. Then, residential areas and schools began to be built on the canal despite warnings from the local city government. In the 1970s, there was a major hurricane in the area, which caused buried hazardous and toxic waste to begin to overflow to the surface and move towards schools and settlements built over the canal. As a result, many schoolchildren are exposed to toxic and hazardous waste. Around 523 children suffer from skin irritation and back pain. Many people complain of cancer and miscarriage. The occurrence of miscarriage is about 50% higher than normal.
b. Time Beach Disaster, USA
The next case also occurred in 1960–1970, when the waste from the chemical industry in St. Louis, USA, was diluted using used oil and waste oil. In addition to its waste oil business, the chemical industry has horse arenas and ranches, where it sprays waste oil to control dust problems. One application holds dust for several months. Those who visit the company’s properties are impressed by how well this technique works. It wasn’t long before people started hiring him for his dust suppression services. In May 1971, many livestock died, even after removing a 15 cm thick layer of used oil from the topsoil. After being investigated, it was found that the entire beach area is contaminated by dioxins. The area experienced catastrophic flooding in December 1982. It was just as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed that dioxins were contaminating the soil, leading to the city’s evacuation in 1985 and complete demolition in 1992. The city was dissolved by the executive order of Missouri governor John Ashcroft on April 2, 1985.
c. Minamata
A very famous case also occurred in Asia, namely in Japan, which is commonly referred to as the case. This case began when something went wrong in the mid-1950s when many cats had seizures and fell into the sea. Then, oddities also occur in the community, where many people complain of numbness, difficulty hearing and seeing, and tremors in their hands and feet. Some people also lose their minds. Then a report made by a doctor on March 1, 1956, is a report that attacks the central nervous system due to mercury poisoning. In this case, as many as 17,000 residents experienced paralysis, lost the ability to see and speak, as well as nerve damage, and around 2,000 people were declared dead. After an investigation, it was found that the mercury that poisoned the community came from the poor processing of mercury waste by Chisso Co., Ltd., a chemical fertilizer manufacturer. Around 200–600 tons of mercury waste have been dumped directly into Minamat Bay since 1932, which then pollutes all living things around it. The sanction given to the company was to spend 2 billion yen per year on therapy costs and medical expenses for the affected people.
d. Acerinox Accident
The Acerinox accident was a radioactive contamination accident in the province of Cadiz. In May 1998, a source of cesium-137 made it through monitoring equipment at the Acerinox scrap metal reprocessing plant in Los Barrios, Spain. When it melts, cesium-137 causes the release of a radioactive cloud. Acerinox chimney detectors failed to detect them, but they were eventually detected in France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. The measured activity concentration was up to 1000 times higher than the normal background level. The accident contaminated a scrap metal reprocessing plant and two other steel mills that sent their waste for decontamination. In the radiological consequences of this event, six people were exposed to slight levels of cesium-137 contamination.
e. Ajka Alumina Plant Accident
The Ajkai Timfoldgyar alumina plant in Ajka, Veszprem County, western Hungary, suffered an industrial accident in the caustic waste collection chain. The northwest corner of reservoir dam number 10 collapsed on October 4, 2010, at 12:25 CEST (10:25 UTC), releasing approximately one million cubic meters (35 million cubic feet) of liquid waste from the lake’s red mud. The mud was released in 1–2 m (3–7 ft) waves, inundating several areas in the vicinity, including Kolontar and Devecser. Ten people died, and 150 were injured. Initially, about 40 square kilometers (15 square miles) of land was affected. On October 7, 2010, the spill reached the Danube.
From some of the cases above, it can be seen that there are several sources of contact or media that can affect the damage to the environment and living things around it. The following are sources of contact that are usually one of the initial causes of hazardous and toxic waste pollution.
1. Contaminated soil
Contaminated soil can be one of the media that causes hazardous and toxic waste pollution. This is because when there is a hazardous and toxic B3 liquid that spills or flows over the ground, the liquid will seep through the pores of the soil, which will then spread widely in many areas.
2. Ventilation
This air vent is also one of the sources of hazardous and toxic waste pollution. This is because when a hazardous and toxic substance evaporates and enters through the ventilation, it can contaminate a room.
3. Contaminated plants
In contaminated plants, they can be a source of hazardous and toxic waste because when the plant has been exposed to a hazardous or toxic substance, it will be consumed by humans or animals. which then can cause health problems.
4. Rainwater flow
Rainwater flow is also a medium for hazardous and toxic waste pollution. This is because if an area has been contaminated by hazardous and toxic waste, then the rain flow can carry the hazardous and toxic waste to other areas, which can expand the polluted area.
5. Animals
As in the case of Minamata, animals can become a medium for polluting hazardous and toxic waste. This is because when the animal in question eats or drinks hazardous and toxic waste, which then when the animal is consumed by humans, will cause sustainability problems in human health.
6. Contaminated rivers and seas
Rivers and seas that have been contaminated by hazardous and toxic substances can have a negative impact on humans and living things around them through the food chain.
From some of the hazardous and toxic waste polluting media above, it can be seen what impacts are affected by hazardous and toxic waste. such as the impact on human health, the impact on the environmental ecosystem, and the impact on the flora and fauna found around the polluted environment. The following is an explanation of the impacts affected by hazardous and toxic waste.
1. Human Health Impacts
The impact caused by hazardous and toxic waste affects both direct and indirect human health. such as poisoning, cancer, fetal anomalies, abnormal weight in babies, and neurological disorders. Here is the explanation:
a. Poisoning
Poisoning is an impact that directly attacks the human body. This can occur when there are harmful and toxic substances that enter the body, such as chemical fluids that can damage internal organs, pesticides, and heavy metals.
b. Cancer
Cancer is an indirect impact caused by hazardous and toxic waste. This is because when there is a dangerous and toxic substance that enters the human body, it will not react immediately, but accumulate in the long term and then attack a certain organ and can cause death. Hazardous and toxic substances that usually cause cancer are heavy metals, dioxins, and PAHs.
c. Fetal Anomalies
This disease is a disease due to changes in the chromosomal composition of a human being, which in turn causes defects or imperfections in the human physique.
d. Abnormal Weight in Babies
This case occurred in the case of “Love Canal," where many babies gave birth with abnormal conditions in their weight.
e. Neurological Disorder
Diseases of nervous disorders also have an impact on human health that causes a lack of human ability for a function of the body or the organ itself, such as stroke. This is usually caused by hazardous and toxic wastes such as heavy metals and organic solvents.
2. Ecosystem Impacts
Explosions caused by gas accumulation in hoarded HW may cause landscape change and land destruction. Changes in soil quality like infertility, texture change, impermeable zone formation, nutrition inavailability for flora and fauna, soil and groundwater contamination.
3. Flora — Fauna Impacts
The impact is felt by flora and fauna in the environment and surrounding areas, such as the occurrence of defects in new species, breaking the food chain, increasing biodiversity, and causing large-scale deaths.
REFERENCES
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Kurniawan, Badrudin. (2019). Pengawasan Pengelolaan Limbah Bahan Berbahaya dan Beracun (B3) di Indonesia dan Tantangannya. Surabaya : Jurnal Dinamika Governance FISIP UPN “Veteran” Jatim, Vol 9.
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