Promotion of resource efficiency and development towards a circular economy is widely supported. Many products and materials that are brought into the economy contain hazardous substances. These substances may be acceptable during the consumption stage, but due to accumulation in the environment may also cause impact to human health and the environment after consumption. The primary goal of was...

The health care industry makes a unique contribution to the potential public health and environmental impacts of sewage sludge production and disposal. As materials flow into and out of health care facilities, potentially hazardous substances, like mercury, solvents, and pharmaceutical compounds, are introduced into the waste stream and ultimately into sewage sludge. Although the hazards posed ...

In 2001, the Federal Office of Pipeline Safety promulgated its pipeline integrity management rule for hazardous liquid pipelines. A notice of proposed rule making for a similar rule for gas pipelines was issued in January 2003. A final rule must be in place by the end of 2003. These rules derive from formal risk management initiatives of both the pipeline industry and the regulators beginning i...

Most large fire departments that participated in this study expressed confi­ dence in their ability to respond to typical hazardous materials (hazmat) events, such as hazardous cargo spills from trucks involved in highway accidents. In contrast, these same departments were greatly concerned about their ability to respond to large or multiple acts of terrorism. For instance, terrorism response c...

The experimental measurement and modeling of liquid chemical agent spread and sorption on a porous substrate are described. Experimental results with the nerve agent O-ethyl S-(2-diisopropylaminoethyl) methylphosphonothiolate (VX) demonstrate that the wetted imprint volume increases, even after the sessile drop volume is exhausted. This indicates the wetted imprint is only partially saturated, ...

Environmental health and environmental quality issues along the U.S.-Mexico border have been of concern for several years. The enactment of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the presence of the maquiladoras (foreign-owned industries using imported raw materials) have intensified those concerns recently. Efforts to assess these issues are complicated by the fact that many of the issues...

BACKGROUND In 1992, a cargo aircraft crashed into apartment buildings in Amsterdam, killing 43 victims and destroying 266 apartments. In the aftermath there were speculations about the cause of the crash, potential exposures to hazardous materials due to the disaster and the health consequences. Starting in 2000, the Epidemiological Study Air Disaster in Amsterdam (ESADA) aimed to assess the lo...