Chemical waste is any excess, unusable, or unwanted chemical, especially those that cause damage to human health or the environment.[1] Chemical waste may be classified as hazardous waste,[2] non-hazardous waste, universal waste, and household hazardous waste.[3]Hazardous waste is a material that displays one or more of four characteristics: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity. This information, along with disposal requirements, should be available on the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). Chemical waste that is radioactive, radioactive waste, requires special means of handling and disposal. Biohazardous waste, although often chemical, falls into a separate category and is handled differently.
Methods of disposal of laboratory chemical waste in the US
Chemical waste category that should be followed for proper packaging, labeling, and disposal of chemical waste
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) prohibits disposing of certain materials down drains.[4] Therefore, when hazardous chemical waste is generated in a laboratory setting, it is usually stored on-site in an appropriate waste carboys where it is later collected and disposed of by a specialist contractor in order to meet safety, health, and legislative requirements. For example, many university's Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) divisions/departments serve the collection and oversight role.[5][6][7][8]
Some chemical wastes are recycled. For example, waste elemental mercury.
Environmental pollution
Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceuticals comprise one of the few groups of chemicals that are specifically designed to act on living cells. They present a special risk when they persist in the environment.
With the exception of watercourses downstream of sewage treatment plants, the concentration of pharmaceuticals in surface and ground water is generally low. Concentrations in sewage sludge and in landfill leachate may be substantially higher[11] and provide alternative routes for EPPPs to enter the human and animal food-chain.
However, even at very low environmental concentrations (often ug/L or ng/L), the chronic exposure to environmental pharmaceuticals chemicals can add to the effects of other chemicals in the cocktail is still not studied. The different chemicals might be potentiating synergistic effects (higher than additive effects). An extremely sensitive group in this respect are foetuses.
EPPPs are already found in water all over the world. The diffuse exposure might contribute to
extinction of species and imbalance of sensible ecosystems, as many EPPPs affect the reproductive systems of for example frogs, mussels, and fish;[12]
genetic, developmental, immune and hormonal health effects to humans and other species, in the same way as e.g. oestrogen-like chemicals;[medical citation needed]
development of microbes resistant to antibiotics, as is found in India.[13]
PPCPs
Further information on how pollutants enter the environment through the manufacturing of PPCPs: Industrial ecology
The use of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) is on the rise with an estimated increase from 2 billion to 3.9 billion annual prescriptions between 1999 and 2009 in the United States alone.[14] PPCPs enter into the environment through individual human activity and as residues from manufacturing, agribusiness, veterinary use, and hospital and community use. In Europe, the input of pharmaceutical residues via domestic waste water is estimated to be around 80% whereas 20% is coming from hospitals.[15] Individuals may add PPCPs to the environment through waste excretion and bathing as well as by directly disposing of unused medications to septic tanks, sewers, or trash. Because PPCPs tend to dissolve relatively easily and do not evaporate at normal temperatures, they often end up in soil and water bodies.
Some PPCPs are broken down or processed easily by a human or animal body and/or degrade quickly in the environment. However, others do not break down or degrade easily. The likelihood or ease with which an individual substance will break down depends on its chemical makeup and the metabolic pathway of the compound.[16]
River pollution
Pharmaceutical pollution of the world's rivers by chemical and region
In 2022, the most comprehensive study of pharmaceutical pollution of the world's rivers finds that it threatens "environmental and/or human health in more than a quarter of the studied locations". It investigated 1,052 sampling sites along 258 rivers in 104 countries, representing the river pollution of 470 million people. It found that "the most contaminated sites were in low- to middle-income countries and were associated with areas with poor wastewater and waste management infrastructure and pharmaceutical manufacturing" and lists the most frequently detected and concentrated pharmaceuticals.[17][18]
Indigo color water pollution in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2005[better source needed]
The textile industry is one of the largest polluters in the globalized world of mostly free market dominated socioeconomic systems. Chemically polluted textile wastewater degrade the quality of the soil and water.[19] The pollution comes from the type of conduct of chemical treatments used e.g. in pretreatment, dyeing, printing, and finishing operations[20] that many or most market-driven companies use despite "eco-friendly alternatives". Textile industry wastewater (TIWW) is considered to be one the largest polluters of water and soil ecosystems, causing e.g. "carcinogenic, mutagenic, genotoxic, cytotoxic and allergenic threats to living organisms".[21][22] The textile industry uses over 8000 chemicals in its supply chain,[23] also pollutes the environment with large amounts of microplastics[24] and has been identified in one review as the biggest pollution causing production sector.[25]
A study by "Scienmag" defines a 'planetary boundary' for novel entities such as plastic and chemical pollution. The study reported that the boundary has been crossed.[28][29]
Chemical compatibility guidelines
Many chemicals may react adversely when combined. It is recommended that incompatible chemicals be stored in separate areas of the lab.[30]
When specialists dispose of hazardous laboratory chemical waste, chemical compatibility must be considered. Safe disposal requires the container to be chemically compatible with the material it will hold. Chemicals must not react with, weaken, or dissolve the container or lid. Acids or bases should not be stored in metal. Hydrofluoric acid should not be stored in glass. Gasoline (solvents) should not be stored or transported in lightweight polyethylene containers such as milk jugs. Moreover, the Chemical Compatibility Guidelines should be considered for more detailed information.[31]
Laboratory waste containers
Laboratory waste containers
Packaging, labeling, and storage are the three requirements for disposing of chemical waste.
Packaging
For packaging, chemical liquid waste containers should only be filled up to 75% capacity to allow for vapor expansion and to reduce potential spills which could occur from moving overfilled containers. Container material must be compatible with the stored hazardous waste. Finally, wastes must not be packaged in containers that improperly identify other non-existing hazards.
In addition to the general packaging requirements mentioned above, incompatible materials should never be mixed in a single container. Wastes must be stored in containers compatible with the chemicals stored as mentioned in the container compatibility section. Solvent safety cans should be used to collect and temporarily store large volumes (10–20 liters) of flammable organic waste solvents. Precipitates, solids, or other non-fluid wastes should not be mixed into safety cans.[32]
Labeling
All containers should be labeled with the group name from the chemical waste category and an itemized list of the contents. All chemicals or anything contaminated with chemicals poses a significant hazard. All waste must be appropriately packaged.[33]
Storage
When storing chemical wastes, the containers must be in good condition and should remain closed unless waste is being added. Hazardous waste must be stored safely prior to removal from the laboratory and should not be allowed to accumulate.[32] The container should be sturdy and leak-proof and must be labeled.[34] All liquid waste must be stored in leak-proof containers with a screw-top or other secure lid. Snap caps, mid-sized caps, parafilm, and other loose-fitting lids are not acceptable. If necessary, transfer waste material to a container that can be securely closed. Waste containers should be kept closed except when adding waste. Secondary containment should be in place to capture spills and leaks from the primary container and segregate incompatible hazardous wastes, such as acids and bases.[35]
The disposal and handling of radioactive waste is a particular focus for regulatory bodies due to the environmental and health risks of radiation and the challenges of safe disposal.
Chemical waste in oceans is becoming a major issue for marine life. There have been many studies conducted to try and prove the effects of chemicals in our oceans. In Canada, many of the studies concentrated on the Atlantic provinces, where fishing and aquaculture are an important part of the economy. In New Brunswick, a study was done on the sea urchin in an attempt to identify the effects of toxic and chemical waste on life beneath the ocean, specifically the waste from salmon farms. Sea urchins were used to check the levels of metals in the environment. It is advantageous to use green sea urchins because they are widely distributed, abundant in many locations, and easily accessible. By investigating the concentrations of metals in the green sea urchins, the impacts of chemicals from salmon aquaculture activity could be assessed and detected. Samples were taken at 25-metre intervals along a transect in the direction of the main tidal flow. The study found that there was impacts to at least 75 meters based on the intestine metal concentrations.
^Pattnaik, Punyasloka; Dangayach, G. S.; Bhardwaj, Awadhesh Kumar (1 June 2018). "A review on the sustainability of textile industries wastewater with and without treatment methodologies". Reviews on Environmental Health. 33 (2): 163–203. doi:10.1515/reveh-2018-0013. ISSN2191-0308.
^Kishor, Roop; Purchase, Diane; Saratale, Ganesh Dattatraya; Saratale, Rijuta Ganesh; Ferreira, Luiz Fernando Romanholo; Bilal, Muhammad; Chandra, Ram; Bharagava, Ram Naresh (1 April 2021). "Ecotoxicological and health concerns of persistent coloring pollutants of textile industry wastewater and treatment approaches for environmental safety". Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. 9 (2): 105012. doi:10.1016/j.jece.2020.105012. ISSN2213-3437.
^Akhtar, Muhammad Furqan; Ashraf, Muhammad; Javeed, Aqeel; Anjum, Aftab Ahmad; Sharif, Ali; Saleem, Mohammad; Mustafa, Ghulam; Ashraf, Moneeb; Saleem, Ammara; Akhtar, Bushra (28 February 2018). "Association of textile industry effluent with mutagenicity and its toxic health implications upon acute and sub-chronic exposure". Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 190 (3): 179. doi:10.1007/s10661-018-6569-7. ISSN1573-2959.
^Nimkar, Ullhas (1 February 2018). "Sustainable chemistry: A solution to the textile industry in a developing world". Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry. 9: 13–17. doi:10.1016/j.cogsc.2017.11.002. ISSN2452-2236.
^Xu, Xia; Hou, Qingtong; Xue, Yingang; Jian, Yun; Wang, LiPing (20 November 2018). "Pollution characteristics and fate of microfibers in the wastewater from textile dyeing wastewater treatment plant". Water Science and Technology. 78 (10): 2046–2054. doi:10.2166/wst.2018.476. ISSN0273-1223.
^Behera, Meerambika; Nayak, Jayato; Banerjee, Shirsendu; Chakrabortty, Sankha; Tripathy, Suraj K. (1 August 2021). "A review on the treatment of textile industry waste effluents towards the development of efficient mitigation strategy: An integrated system design approach". Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. 9 (4): 105277. doi:10.1016/j.jece.2021.105277. ISSN2213-3437.
