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The Unites States has attempted to deal with hazardous substances and wastes
by using command-and-control methods of government regulations. This
attemp began relatively recently. Starting with the development of EPA, and
OSHA in 1970. There were attempts to regulate certain substances privor to that
date (see table 18.1), but the main focus of environmental regulation and
enforcement began much later. This may have been mainly due to our lack of
understanding. Queestion such as : What do these substances/wates do when
they persist in the environment? What might they do to the organisms in our
environment (including humans)?
Many states, as well as some countries, have tried to mirror these federal
regulations by codifying their own statutes specific to their needs. State
regulations can be equal to or more stringent than federal statutes. Creating
these regulations is difficult due to the vast number of variables involved. Of
course, the human factor thaht compicates the issue is the conceppt of NIMBY
(Not In My Backyard). No one, whether you live in Peoria, Illinois, or Seoul South
Korea, wants to have hazardous waste/substances located any where near their
home.
Wheather a hazardous substances is a raw material, an ingredient in a product,
or a waste, there are problems in determining how to regulate it. Mining, electric,
generation, and chemical and petrochemical industries are the major producers
of hazardous wastes. These industries produce many useful materials that are
converted into the products we use every day, such as metals, energy sources,
and many syntethic materials. (See figure 18.2)
While determining how and what to regulate, governments must assess who will
pay for cleanup if hazardous substances or wastes enter the environment. This
liability issue is often the most contentious of all. Remember, the L and C in
CERCLA ( Super Fund) stand for liability and compensation. The PRP (Potentially
Fund) stand for Liability andcompensation. The PRP (Potentially fund) stand for
liability and compensation. The PRP (Potentially Responsible Party) will have to
pay
for
dealing
with
the
remediation
of
the
site
once
hazardous
internasional
voluntary
consensus
standards
such
as
ISO
14000
control exposures to humans and the environment. Sometimes the reason for the
regulation is lost in the effort to enforce it. The purpose of all environmental
regulation is to control and/or stop pollution and environmental degradation. If
an industry is put out of business due to environmental fines and cleanup costs,
it will not be able to contribute to the control and/or remediation of the toxic
material, the area will revert to an orphaned site, and other sources of money
will have to be sought for its cleanup. Oftentimes these areas are cleaned up
through the use of state and federal funds. In other words. We all pay for it.