Pollution - Environmental Science - page 170

Some hazardous waste is treated prior to disposal in order to neutralize it. Usually, treatment involves the in-
cineration of the waste, which breaks down the toxic organic components and reduces the volume of the waste.
As specified in the Clean Air Act, the emissions from these incineration facilities are monitored through the
National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), with levels established by the EPA.
Proper disposal of hazardous waste requires special facilities designed to hold these substances, often designed
to permanently contain the waste. Most hazardous substances are placed into landfills, injection wells, land
treatment units, or surface impoundments. Liquids are usually placed into injection wells deep within the earth.
Hazardous waste disposal is monitored by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Safe
Drinking Water Act (SDWA).
Remediation and Cleanup of Contaminated Sites
Polluted waters and soils can be remediated, or cleaned up, through extensive effort and at high costs. Re-
mediation is the removal of contaminants from water or soil. Prior to the start of remediation, an environmental
site assessment is created to determine what activities occurred on the site and in the area, what pollutants are
present, and what can be done to remove and clean up the pollutants. Generally, the parties who contaminated
the site are responsible for the remediation and removal of contaminated soils and water within the contamin-
ated area. If the contamination is found on an abandoned site and cannot be traced to any person or company,
funds are provided by the federal government through the EPA's Superfund program. Taxes imposed on pollut-
ing industries are placed into the Superfund to be used for the remediation of contaminated areas.
Remediation can involve either treating the contaminated area without removing any soil (in situ), or removing
contaminated soil (ex situ), or a combination of both. Possible remediation techniques include excavation, ex-
traction, pump and treat, bioremediation, aeration, phytoremediation, and thermal remediation, with the optim-
al treatment depending on the type of pollution, what is contaminated, and how much is affected.
Economic Impacts
Pollution affects many economic sectors, so it can be difficult to put an exact dollar amount on the effects of
pollution. Because pollution can travel from the point of origin, it impacts both human health and ecosystem
health, sometimes in locales widely removed from the original source of contamination. Effects may not be
seen for years or decades, and not all effects are reported or known. Thus, the economic impact of pollution is
estimated, including combinations of many factors including the following:
• Medical costs, loss of income, and loss of productivity due to pollution-related human illness
• Lost profits due to impacts on agriculture
• Loss of income due to impacts on resources, including fisheries and timber
• Potential decrease in tourism
• Costs related to cleanup and control of pollution
• Loss of revenues due to businesses moving from or refusing to move to polluted areas
• Lost income of all services that depend on monies generated in communities affected by pollution
However, it is beneficial for some businesses to move specifically to areas that allow higher levels of pollution,
in which their emission and pollution standards may not be as tight and permitting for pollution may be sim-
pler. Thus, allowing pollution can have beneficial effects on local economies.