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
- Antifreeze(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste) - http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/antifree.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
- Electronic Waste (E-Waste): Frequent Questions(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/osw/conserve/materials/ecycling/faq.htm
- Household Hazardous Waste(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste) - http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/hhw.htm
- Mercury: Spills, Disposal and Site Cleanup(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/mercury/spills/index.htm
-
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
- Used Oil Management Program(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste) - http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/usedoil/index.htm
- Superfund -- Basic Information(Environmental Protection Agency) - http://www.epa.gov/superfund/about.htm
-
Tox Town(National Library of Medicine) - http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/espanol/
-
ToxFAQs(Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) - http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html
Also available in Spanish http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/es/toxfaqs/es_toxfaqs.html
- TOXNET Databases(National Library of Medicine) - Databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and related areas - http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/
- Waste -- Ask a Question(Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste) - http://waste.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/waste.cfg/php/enduser/std_alp.php
- Household Products Database(National Library of Medicine) - http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/
- Article: Mortality among former Love Canal residents. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19270790&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Isoflurane waste anesthetic gas concentrations associated with the open-drop method. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19245753&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Landfill sites and congenital anomalies--have we moved forward? - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=19151226&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/
-
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/
-
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences - http://www.niehs.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/community/espanol/
- TOXMAP(National Library of Medicine) - Create maps showing locations of toxic chemical releases - http://toxmap.nlm.nih.gov/toxmap/main/index.jsp
- 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/