Thursday, January 3, 2013

Hazardous Wastes Found In Our Daily Life

Lots of the products we use every day are potentially hazardous substances. You can find them in your kitchen, bathroom, office, garden, etc. Because of their chemical nature they can poison, corrode, explode or burst into flame when handled improperly. When discarded, they become hazardous wastes.

Motor oil, paints, pesticides, antifreeze, wood preservatives, batteries, CFL and fluorescent light tubes, and many household cleaners contain solvents, petroleum products, heavy metals or other toxic chemicals. When throw in the trash or poured down the drain, the hazardous chemicals contained can injure people, contaminate drinking water sources or pollute the soil.

For Example:

Each 4-feet fluorescent light tube (light tube we use in our home, office, parking lot, etc) contains about 10 mg of mercury. According to the USA Environmental Protection Agency, the allowable mercury level in drinking water is less than 2 micro-gram per liter. So, each fluorescent tube is capable of contaminating 5,000 liters of water.

Tips:

DO NOT dispose of hazardous waste in the trash, down the drain, onto the ground or on the street. All of these methods may result in health and/or environmental problems.

DO NOT store corrosives, flammables and poisons together. Separate these containers.

DO NOT repackage chemical products in containers that are normally used for products or soft drinks. Children have died from drinking chemicals stored in soft drink bottles.

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