Effects of Exposure to a Variety of Waste on Human Health - A Review

Abstract

The amount of waste has been greatly increased due to population growth and industry development, which has an undeniable effect on human health and the environment. The way of handling the situation becomes a major problem since inappropriate management is likely to have devastating effects on public health and the environment. The present study reviews the side effects of wastes on the human and determines the countries producing the largest amounts of waste. To do so, published papers on the effects of waste on human were reviewed using the data available on the ISI-Web of Science. The number of articles on the subject as on February 21, 2016 were 436. These papers were categorized into four main classes based on the waste type (medical waste, municipal waste, electronic waste, and industrial waste), and each category was separately analyzed. According to the results America, Jordan and Kuwait have the highest amounts of medical waste production. Thus, their people have more exposure to diseases such as respiratory problems, skin diseases, hepatitis A and B, cancer and so forth. The highest municipal wastes are produced in countries such as Norway and Mexico. Their people are exposed to diseases such as breath, respiratory and reproductive problems. The amount of industrial waste production in Asia (countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, India and Australia) is higher than other Asian countries. Recommendations for proper management according to the conducted research were stated. Finally, gaps and suggestions in this area were identified and mentioned. This research can help those who are interested in studying the effects of wastes.

A robust fuzzy multi-objective location-routing problem for hazardous waste under uncertain conditions

“…The basic principle of waste management is to minimize waste production. Also, using proper recycling management leads to a considerable reduction in the potential hazards and damage caused by waste, especially those causing a dire threat to society and the environment via burning [ 2 ]. Hazardous wastes are referred to wastes that have at least one of the hazardous properties such as toxicity, pathogenicity, flammability, and corrosion, which must be handled with care.…”

Detoxification of E-waste polluted site using cashew nut shell-based activated carbon

“…There is an exponential growth in the demand for electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) globally due to rapid population growth, changing lifestyle, taste and preferences [1]. This growth coupled with the speedy obsolescence of EEE as a result of consistent technological advancement, diminishing product lifetimes, lack of separate collection and disposal has led to enormous amounts of electronic wastes (Ewastes) getting into the environment.…”

“…Regulation of E-waste management has been challenged by the lack of legislation, even though efforts are made to curb illegal inflows [3]. E-waste produces substances that can be very injurious to the environment and humans [1,5,6]. They form a significant component of toxic wastes spread across contaminated sites throughout the world.…”

“…They form a significant component of toxic wastes spread across contaminated sites throughout the world. Heavy metal contamination of soils is subsequently the most important environmental problem that poses significant impacts to human and ecosystem health as contaminants infiltrate and pollute groundwater as well as surface water [1,7,8].…”