Hazard identification is the first step in risk assessment for waste regulatory. Hazard identification isn't confined to only waste regulatory, it is used in a whole variety of programs, but the purpose of this blog entry is to discuss its use in hazardous waste. Hazard identification is used to analyze whether there are foreign contaminants in a specific site. Investors need to know whether a plot of land is suitable for use.
So how is hazard identification used? A piece of land is surveyed, the soil, air, and water are measured to see what they are comprised of. Any containmanents identified will be noted, the most toxic or highest concentration elements usually presents the most risk. While many containminants maybe present, not all are hazardous due to their concentration or they do
not pose an imminent risk.
What do we do after we find unwanted stuff in the land? Many possibilities exist, but the most common solutions are to either treat it or leave it alone. Treatment is used to lessen the extent of the threat posed by the containment. A popular method is to use combustion or incineration to burn organic waste. Using treatment can be very expensive depending on the characteristic of the waste. Leaving it alone is not ideal but it is an option. Sometimes it is not worth the cost of removing the containment, it is easier to find another site to invest in.
References:
Superfund Risk Assessment
http://www.epa.gov/oswer/riskassessment/superfund_toxicity.htm
EPA Treatment and Disposal
http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/tsd/td/index.htm
FEMA Disposing Waste
http://www.fema.gov/plan/ehp/regioniii/debris.shtm
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality
http://www.azdeq.gov/environ/waste/hazwaste/index.html
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