Alana Schudel
Once produced, waste needs to be disposed of. The discarding of waste includes multiple intricate tasks. Depending on the type of waste and its management, waste generates a variety of toxic compounds. Concerns regarding possible health impacts persist. However, there are numerous ambiguities in the evaluation.
Figure 1: landfill-site [photograph] (Author: Hazelgreaves)
The cause of the problem
Various types of waste as for example municipal solid waste, hazardous waste, industrial non-hazardous waste, agricultural and animal waste, mining waste, radioactive waste, oil and gas production waste and e-waste are produced daily (Downs & Acevedo, 2019). With this amount of different waste generated, it is clear that the classification of waste is not uniform and the disposal of it includes a wide range of complicated tasks which can be managed through reuse, recycling, storage, treatment, energy recovery and disposal (Downs & Acevedo, 2019, WHO, 2015, Porta et al., 2009). Some handling and disposal actions can have negative consequences, leading in soil, water, and air pollution (WHO, 2015). Leaks from the waste can pollute soils and water streams, as well as cause air contamination from heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants, posing health risks. To manage the last step of trash disposal, landfills and incinerators are commonly utilized (WHO, 2015). For this reason, the majority of the studies concentrate on health effects of landfills and incinerators. There is a growing trend toward incineration as a waste management method. For this reason, more individuals will be exposed to incinerator pollutants (WHO, 2015). Chemicals in fly ash and slag put incinerator personnel at risk while community people are a subject to stack pollutants (Hu & Shy, 2011). Land disposal facilities handle the majority of municipal solid and hazardous waste (Downs & Acevedo, 2019). People living near a landfill may be exposed to pollutants from the dump through inhalation of site-produced chemicals, direct contact with contaminated water or soil, and ingestion of substances. The most serious problems are illegal, unmanaged landfills that accept waste without screening at the source (WHO, 2015).
The effects of waste management on health
Incineration is frequently linked to an increased risk of non-lymphoma Hodgkin’s and sarcoma development (Porta et al., 2009, WHO, 2015). Although various uncertainties restrict the general interpretation of the findings, there is minimal evidence that those living near an incinerator have an elevated risk of all malignancies (Porta et al., 2009). Also, associations between preterm births, reduced male-to female ratio and spontaneous abortions exist. Controversial outcomes of studies exist for congenital malformation and twinning. Multiple studies have linked incineration to ischemic heart disease, urine mutagens and promutagens, and blood levels of specific organic chemicals and heavy metals. There is limited evidence for an increased risk for respiratory diseases (Porta et al., 2009, Hu & Shy, 2011). Next to investigating general health impacts of incinerators, it is also vital to evaluate the healt impact of incinerator personnel. Incinerator workers are more likely to get gastric cancer and to suffer from pulmonary difficulties. As for other health effects, a lot of unknowns exist for the risk of employees of incinerators (WHO, 2015).
In the case of landfills, the strongest association with human health is for congenital malformations. For births to people living within 2 km of hazardous and non-hazardous waste sites in the United Kingdom, increased hazards were determined to be statistically significant for all congenital malformations, neural tube defects, abdominal wall defects, surgical correction of gastroschisis and exomphalos, and low birth weight. Another study states that there is limited evidence of an increased risk for infants born to mothers living near landfill sites (Porta et al., 2009; WHO, 2015). According to WHO (2015), there is an increased risk for different cancers as for example lung, liver, colon and stomach cancer due to residential proximity to landfills. Still, total data is insufficient to draw definite conclusions. Next to people living near landfills, the health risk of landfill workers is also important. In the study from Porta et al. (2009) Landfill workers had much more respiratory, dermatological, neurologic, and hearing issues than the general population.
What can be done?
The results from different studies on the effects of waste management on human health are equivocal. This aspect can be drawn back to the fact that depending on the study a different understanding of classification of waste was used, different measures and distances were used to investigate the impact of waste management on human health. In order to further examine the health effects of waste management, more studies are needed. Even though the findings are limited, links between waste management and health impact exist. The elimination of ineffective, outdated, and unlawful waste management is essential (Porta et al., 2009). For example, incinerator emissions have advanced over time as stricter regulations have been implemented and old incinerators have been replaced through new ones. Further, there is a need of understanding the exact composition of waste when managing it in order to dispose of it correctly (WHO, 2015). Also, trash separation eliminates dangerous substances and expands recycling and composting alternatives. The two latter also help to reduce the total amount of waste produced. A good example for the problem is the EU Directive 1999/31/EC. Organic waste is now being composted or specialized landfill sites are used as a result of the EU Directive 1999/31/EC on trash landfilling (Ecolex, 1999). Furthermore, where the possibilities are given, households can help sepearting and recycling municipal solid waste. Last but not least the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) could be of help as a greater emphasis on sustainability is being placed on a range of issues. This also involves waste management. Sustainability can aid policymakers in making progress even when there isn’t enough evidence on specific health effects. The Sustainable Development Goals can also be of use in order to implement a local public health strategy on waste management and they also contribute to the European Union’s waste plan by providing additional stability (WHO, 2015, Porta et al., 2009).
Conclusion
Given the equivocal results on the health effects of waste management it is hard to answer the question wether we are digging our own grave or not. Still there is evidence that waste management can have adverse effects on our health. It is clear that more research has to be done and stricter policies are needed so we do not end up digging our own grave.
Downs, A., & Acevedo, R. 2019. How Our Trash Impacts the Environment. Earth Day. https://www.earthday.org/how-our-trash-impacts-the-environment/
Ecolex. 1999. Council Directive 1999/31/EC on the landfill of waste. https://www.ecolex.org/details/legislation/council-directive-199931ec-on-the-landfill-of-waste-lex-faoc038106/
Hu, S.-W., & Shy, C. M. 2011. Health Effects of Waste Incineration: A Review of Epidemiologic Studies: Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association: Vol 51, No 7. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10473289.2001.10464324
Porta, D., Milani, S., Lazzarino, A. I., Perucci, C. A., & Forastiere, F. 2009. Systematic review of epidemiological studies on health effects associated with management of solid waste. Environmental Health, 8(1), 60. https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-069X-8-60
WHO. (2015). Waste and human health: Evidence and needs. https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/317226/Waste-human-health-Evidence-needs-mtg-report.pdf
Fig 1 https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/what-are-the-alternatives-to-landfill/53719/alternatives-to-landfill/53719/, retrieved: 30.05.22)