In Shivaji Nagar, if you are 39 years old you are most likely dead. Some in this neighborhood say it is far worse if you are alive. Yet, seemingly paradoxically, the residents of this neighborhood do not want to leave it. Located between one of Asia’s largest garbage dumps and Mumbai’s largest abattoir, this Deonar neighborhood is popularly known as “Bombay’s gas chamber.” This dissertation examines the social worlds of the residents of Shivaji Nagar by asking how an apparently odious, and potentially toxic place that appears to foreclose all possibilities other than failure, waste and death becomes an object of attachment for its residents.

The response of several plant species to heavy metal contaminated soils was evaluated using plant bioassays with a soil substrate. A natural soil was collected from Dinwiddie County, Virginia and soil analysis was performed. The plant species, Lolium multiflorum, setaria italica and Trifolium rep ens latum, Robinia pseudoacacia, Andropogon gerardi, Asclepias syriaca, Echinacea purpurea, Rudbeckia hirta and Festuca rubra were grown in to determine the response to cupric and cadmium chloride in soils (mg Cu/kg soil). A few plant species were grown in small pots in a plant growth chamber for 28 days using control, 10, 30, 100 and 300mg Cu or Cd/kg soil. Germination proved to be less sensitive than root length. S. italica had highest ECSOs. In eu 20.7 and 15.3 in Cd. All plant species were grown for 7 days in 0.3, 1.0, 3.0 10.0, and 30.0mg Cu/kg soil and in control. Germination was not effected by metal concentrations in most species (p=0.07-0.6), except T.repens latum, R. hirta and F. rubra at 30mg/kg (p=0.0007). Root length was significantly effected by Cu concentrations for almost all species (p=0.0001-0.0112). Setaria italica had the highest EC50 at 10.86mg/kg. Robinia pseudoacacia root length was not significantly affected by CU concentrations. The other species had EC50s ranging from 3.74-7.51mg/kg. Both inhibition and stimulation of root growth were observed. Preliminary studies regarding germination rates, fungicides and rangefinding are included. / Master of Science

The geotechnical aspects of a hazardous waste disposal site located in Piney River, Nelson County, Virginia, were investigated. The waste material consisted primarily of a by-product of the production of titanium known as copperas which is highly acidic. The investigatory program consisted of field and laboratory work. Objectives included delineating the pit geometry and liner system, assessing the characteristics of the natural soils at the site as well as the wastes, and evaluating the degree of contamination of the natural subsoils around the pit. The field investigation findings show a more complex geometry for the pit than that suggested in the design documents. While shown on the plans, the presence of the bottom clay liner is questionable. Large depressions and numerous cracks were found in the waste area. Acid contamination of the groundwater and the subsoils exists to a considerable depth. Laboratory tests illustrated the susceptibility of the copperas to dissolution under water seepage. This could have caused the large settlements. Remedial actions could include grading the top of the pit for better drainage. Other actions could include redepositing the waste in a burial pit which has a leachate collection system and properly compacted clay liners which include an impervious fabric. Perhaps the waste could be treated chemically prior to final disposition. In any case, some level of continual maintenance will be necessary. / M. S.

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

Univ., Diss.-2003--Göttingen, 2002.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Geography)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Hazardous wastes (HW) refer to wastes that may or tend to cause adverse health effects on the ecosystem and human beings. These wastes pose present or potential risks to human health or living organisms, due to the fact that they are: (i) non-degradable or persistent in nature, (ii) can be biologically magnified, (iii) are highly toxic and even lethal at very low concentrations. Various types of production activities in South Africa generate many by-products, which are usually discarded but often turn out to be sources of acute environmental hazards. If not contained and handled appropriately, waste, including HW can cause significant problems. Unattended HW lying around leads to unhygienic conditions resulting in health problems. Increasing population growth, accompanied by rapid urbanization and industrialization, increases the volume of HW generated in the country. Improper waste management is aesthetically unattractive and impacts negatively on tourism by creating blight on South Africa’s beautiful landscape. The aim of the study is to assess how HW is discarded across different land use zones in the Musina Local Municipality in order to reduce and manage the negative impacts that they exert to the environment and human health. The objective was to: (i) analyse the state and management of hazardous waste discarded by beauty salons of the central business district of Musina; (ii) Elucidate the state and management of hazardous waste discarded by households located in the suburbs of Musina; (iii) Document the state and management of hazardous waste discarded by automotive workshop located in the Industrial zone of Musina and (iv) Develop tailor-made recommendations for the safe management of hazardous waste in the town of Musina, Limpopo Province, South Africa The study was conducted in Musina Local Municipality in Limpopo province, South Africa. Musina is the northern town in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The study sites were divided into three land use zones; central business district (CBD), suburban area, and industrial zone. In terms of methodology observations, a datasheet and a semi-structured questionnaire were used to collect data on HW management across three different land use zones. A total of 73 semi-structured questionnaires (55 in suburban area and 10 in industrial zone and 8 in the Central Business District) were employed to document quantitative and qualitative data. Observations were used to identify the types and document quantity of HW discarded by all participants. The researcher opened the weekly municipal refuse bags that stored discarded products to list and count HW products. The information was captured on a datasheet, which recorded data on type, quantity and separation of hazardous waste from general waste. Data was analysed via descriptive statistics. Results from Central Business District (Salons) shows that nail varnish bottles were the most discarded HW product with 250 discarded per week by all eight salons. Other HW products discarded include artificial nails, hair dye containers, plastic combs, vinyl gloves and disinfectant containers. All salons practice the same disposal method; making use of municipal refuse bags for temporary storage, which is then transported to the municipal landfill site for final disposal. None of the participants separate waste; reasons being lack of awareness of separation management. Shop owners and employees’ attitude towards HW management was neutral while their level of knowledge on the environmental and human health impact was rated low. Seventy-five percent of the respondents were not aware that the products they discard are hazardous. Results from Suburban area (household hazardous waste) shows that home cleaning products were the most discarded Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) product with 237 discarded per week by all 55 sampled households. Other HHW products discarded include personal cleaning products, miscellaneous items, automotive maintenance and gardening products. The 50 households practice the same disposal method; making use of house bin (usually pedal bins). Once the bin is full, they dispose it to the outdoors wheelie bins. The remaining five household dispose of their waste directly to the outdoor bin. None of the participants separated waste; main reasons being lack of awareness of separation management. Participants’ attitude towards HW management was neutral while their level of knowledge on the environmental and human health impact was rated medium. Seventy-three percent of the respondents were aware that the products they discard are hazardous. Results from Industrial Zone (hazardous waste) shows that plastic components were the most discarded hazardous waste (HW) product with 31 discarded per week by all 10 sampled automotive workshops. Other HW products discarded include lead-acid batteries, automotive used oil and paint containers. Automotive workshops practice different storage and disposal method; making use of drums, large containers and old scrap car as a temporary storage place. Once the temporary storage is full, 50% opted for recycling while 30% dispose of their waste to the landfill site; the remaining 20% burn their waste in their premises. A large majority (80%) did not separate their waste; main reasons being a lack of awareness of separation management. Participants’ attitude towards HW management was positive while their level of knowledge on the environmental and human health impact was rated low. Half of the respondents were aware that the products they discard are hazardous. Many studies have looked at the comparison between wastes discarded in the rural versus urban area with little attention on specific enterprises. It is more realistic to consider other enterprises because different activities generated different waste. This study was able to assess how waste is discarded in different enterprises such as salons and automotive workshop with an addition of residential waste. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study of this kind. Future research can look at other enterprises such as HW from restaurant or as far as HW discarded by mining sector. The study recommends that the salon enterprise obtains a HW certificate prior to operating a salon, this will increase awareness and make employees more knowledgeable on issues relating to the management of HW. Most of the wastes discarded by sub-urban area were recyclable materials. The municipality can look into collecting recyclable materials separately and taking it to the recycling facilities. It was shocking to find out that there are automotive industries that burn their waste (without even separating). This poses a serious danger in terms of air pollution and the possibilities of containers exploding; therefore, there is an urgent need to educate people in the automotive industry. Keywords: Hazardous waste, Household Hazardous Waste, Musina, Central Business District

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment for the degree of Master of Arts. Johannesburg 1995. / This report explores co llect+ve ect+on around opposition to a propo..;ed hazardous waste 1andf t 11. Of concern ;s the role that social movement organisations and social movement activists, organising around environmental issues, can play in entrenching a participatory, non-racial democracy in South Africa's present transitional political phase. The analysis makes use of theories of social movements which argue that collective action is rooted in previous cycles of mobilisation, and that the role of social movement entreprenbJrS or activists is crucial in coll,ctive action mob'l Hsat ton. Data was collected through the use of participant observation and semi-structured interviews, Various documentary sources were also used. This report argues that mobilisation around environmental issues can best be understood by locating such mobilisation in the heritage of previous cycles of mobilisation, most notably in the period of the 19805. Furthermore, this report highlights the fact that the structure and form of ~he transitional state at national, regional and local levels presents certain constraints with regard to the extension and entrenchment of participatory democracy, Finally, it will be argued that while the Chloorkop Coalition demonstrates the pctent ial that environmental issues have for uniting communities across traditional racial and ideological barriers, it ;s not clear whether a lasting cross~racial cooperation can be achieved. / MT2017

Type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in adults and youths. Persistent organic pollutants and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as pesticides, dioxins, and organochlorines, are omnipresent and persist in the environment with potential for human exposure via contaminated air, waterways, soil, and human food supply. EDCs have been correlated with diabetes incidence and risks. Residential proximity to hazardous waste sites (HWS) has been correlated with increased hospital admission rates for diabetes. The study used a sample population (N = 1,724), ages ≥ 12 years from the 2005-2012 Continuous NHANES and HWS data from the National Priorities List of Superfund Sites. The ecosocial theory of disease distribution, and geocoordinates provided theoretical support. Mann-Whitney U test and binary logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the relationship between residence ≤ 1 mile compared with residence >1 mile from a HWS in NHANES surveyed counties of NJ, PA, NY, and CA on the outcome abnormal A1c ≥ 5.7% while controlling the effect of the moderators: abnormal body mass index (BMI), age, sex, and race/ethnicity on the relationship. Participants with a BMI ≥ 28.95 kg/m2 were 1.8 times and persons ≥ 58 years of age were 2.1 times more likely to have an A1c ≥ 5.7%. Also, non-Hispanic Whites residing >1 mile of a HWS had 82.1 % reduced risk of abnormal A1c compared with the same group residing ≤ 1 mile of a HWS. The results forge opportunities for future studies to consider border distance between residence and HWS. In addition, the results may promote positive social change through diabetes risks education, environmental health education, and practices and raise dialogue about social justice and the geographic distribution of hazardous waste sites.

This thesis explores patterns of environmental inequality in Portland, Oregon; both the existence of spatial environmental inequalities and the structural and local forces which contribute to them. Research on environmental inequality, or inequitable exposure to toxins, has shown that minority and low-income populations experience the bulk of the exposure to environmental hazards. Although Portland is often cited as the archetype of a sustainable city, environmental inequality is a pervasive issue. This thesis examines the health inequalities that characterize underserved communities in Portland. Utilizing a mixed methods approach, the researcher uses 1) logistic regression to statistically assess the relationship between race, poverty, and Superfund site locations, and 2) in-depth interviews with members of Oregon's environmental justice movement to help understand the historical, social, political, and economic conditions of Portland and their subsequent influence on environmental inequalities. Quantitative data is pooled from 2000 census and 2011 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sources. The quantitative findings demonstrate that environmental inequality is present in Portland, with African Americans being particularly overrepresented in tracts with Superfund sites. The quantitative analyses ultimately suggest that minimally populated, highly impoverished tracts with approximately 11% African American residents are most likely to house a Superfund site. The qualitative findings show that a variety of structural and local forces play prominent roles in the formation of Portland's environmental inequalities. The qualitative analyses reveal this to be a multifaceted and complex process that is indicative of Portland's history of racial inequality, contemporary free market and business forces, and governmental interests which culminate in trends of inequitable development.

No description available.