Even if you use them properly, many chemicals can still harm human health and the environment. When you throw these substances away, they become hazardous waste. Some hazardous wastes come from products in our homes. Our garbage can include such hazardous wastes as old batteries, bug spray cans and paint thinner. U.S. residents generate 1.6 million tons of household hazardous waste per year. Hazardous waste is also a by-product of manufacturing.
You may have hazardous wastes in your basement or garage. How do you get rid of them? Don't pour them down the drain, flush them or put them in the garbage. See if you can donate or recycle. Many communities have household hazardous waste collection programs. Check to see if there is one in your area.
Environmental Protection Agency
- Hazardous Substances and Hazardous Waste(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/superfund/students/clas_act/haz-ed/ff_01.htm
- Backyard Burning: Human Health(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/backyard/health.htm
- Batteries(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste) - http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/battery.htm
- Household Hazardous Waste(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste) - http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/hhw.htm
- About Superfund(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/superfund/about.htm
- Frequently Asked Questions about Waste(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste) - http://waste.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/waste.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php
- Managing Radioactive Materials & Waste(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/radiation/manage.html
- Mercury: Spills, Disposal and Site Cleanup(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm
- Protect Yourself, Protect Others: Safe Options for Home Needle Disposal(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste) - Links to PDF - http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/industrial/medical/med-home.pdf
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Safe Disposal of Pesticides(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances) - http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/disposal.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/regulating/spanish/disposal.htm
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Tox Town
(National Library of Medicine) - Requires Flash Player - http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/espanol/ -
TOXNET Databases(National Library of Medicine) - Databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and related areas - http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/
- Wastes -- Hazardous Waste -- Treatment, Storage & Disposal (TSD)(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/index.htm
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Household Products Database(National Library of Medicine) - http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Design and verification of shielding for the advanced spent fuel... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18403959&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Great Lakes health data hidden. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18497112&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Reproductive life events in the population living in the vicinity... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18477750&tool=MedlinePlus
- Hazardous Waste -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=hazardous+waste[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Terms of Environment(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/ocepa111/OCEPAterms/
- Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/tri/
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Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry - http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/es/es_index.html
- Environmental Protection Agency - http://www.epa.gov/
- Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste - http://www.epa.gov/osw/
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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/community/espanol/
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TOXMAP(National Library of Medicine) - Create maps showing locations of toxic chemical releases - http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/main/index.jsp
- Garbage and Recycling(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/kids/garbage.htm
- Waste and Recycling (Students)(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/region5/students/waste.htm
- Waste and Recycling (High School Students)(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/highschool/waste.htm
- Environmental Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/environmentalhealth.html
- Poisoning, Toxicology, Environmental Health - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/poisoningtoxicologyenvironmentalhealth.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Hazardous Waste is the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/