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Tox Town - Environmental health concerns and toxic chemicals where you live, work, and play
Illegal Dumps and Tire Pilesen español

What are illegal dumps and tire piles?

An illegal dump is a site where wastes are disposed of without a permit. Illegal dumping is also called open dumping, fly dumping, or midnight dumping when materials are dumped in open areas, from vehicles along roads, or late at night. A legal, sanitary landfill is a land disposal site for non-hazardous household solid waste, where the waste is spread in compacted layers. Human exposure to landfill gas can cause respiratory problems, central nervous system damage, and cancer. 

Illegally dumped materials can include construction waste, automobiles, auto parts, scrap tires, appliances, furniture, and medical waste. Scrap tires and bulky items may be illegally dumped because they are banned from landfills and their proper disposal may be expensive. An illegal dump can also contain any toxic chemicals or hazardous materials that someone chooses to discard. 

Illegal dumps can cause not only the same human health risks as landfills, but also other health threats. Rodents, insects, and other disease-carrying pests are attracted to dump sites. Polluted water runoff from dump sites can contaminate wells and other sources of drinking water. Disease-carrying mosquitoes can breed in the rain water that collects inside discarded tires. Tire fires can burn for a long time, polluting the air, soil, and water with gases, heavy metals, and oil. Smoke from tire fires can include benzene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and styrene.


Web Links from MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine)
Air Pollution
Hazardous Waste

More Links
Illegal Dumping (Project Green Sweep) PDF Icon
Illegal Dumping Prevention Guidebook (Environmental Protection Agency) PDF Icon
Scrap Tires Basic Information (Environmental Protection Agency)
Scrap Tires: Frequent Questions (Environmental Protection Agency)
Tire Fires (Environmental Protection Agency)

Chemicals in Dumps and Tire Piles
Are these chemicals in MY environment?
Acetone
Ammonia
Arsenic
Asbestos
Benzene
Carbon Monoxide
Chlorine
Chromium
Diesel
Dioxins
Formaldehyde
Gasoline
Lead
Mercury
Nitrogen Oxides
Particulate Matter
Perchloroethylene
Pesticides
Phthalates
Polychlorinated Biphenyls
Propane
Solvents
Sulfur Dioxide
Toluene
Volatile Organic Compounds


Last Updated: December 09, 2008

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