Landfills Hazard to the Community Essay

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Include the risk or hazard to the community, and provide three bullets addressing the primary message that you want to share about the hazard or risk.Landfills produce bad odors and gas that can affect the health of people living around them. They are also the source of toxic chemicals that get into water sources near them and affect both human life and wildlife. The types of gases commonly found in landfills include carbon dioxide, methane, sulfides, and ammonia. The bad odor from landfills is usually the Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Methane is a flammable gas. In high concentrations, it can become explosive. This is especially true when it collects in an enclosed/ indoor area. Methane and carbon dioxide also affect displacing oxygen from buildings and can lead to suffocation in affected nearby buildings (Department of Health, n.d).Many different types of gases are commonly found in landfills. Carbon dioxide and methane make up between 90 and 98 percent of landfill gases. Other common gases produced by landfills include hydrogen, sulfides, ammonia, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide. The gases are produced by bacteria working on organic waste. The volume of gas produced by a landfill is dependent on the temperature, the humidity/ moisture level, the availability of oxygen, the age of a landfill, and the waste type available. For example, a landfill with a lot of organic waste will produce a lot of landfill gases. Another example, higher temperatures around or in a landfill will produce a lot of landfill gases. Furthermore, an old landfill is more likely to produce more gases because of well-established bacteria colonies, unlike new landfills. Most landfill usually reaches their peak in gas production in about five years and can produce gases for five decades continuously (Department of Health, n.d; Fedcenter, n.d).Landfill gases can easily move into the ground underneath a landfill and then escape into the air and get into nearby buildings. Escaped landfill gases can get into nearby buildings through ventilation systems, doors, and windows. In the ground, landfill gases can travel through the soil and enter houses through utility entry points, cracked basements/ floors, floors drain, sump pump holes, and so on. This is referred to as soil vapor intrusion. The moment soil vapor intrusion occurs, landfill gases often collect in places with poor air circulation such as utility tunnels, crawlspaces, and basements (Department of Health, n.d; ATSDR, n.d).

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The bad smells from landfills are primarily caused by landfill gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. These gases are produced by bacteria that breakdown waste. For instance, a landfill with plenty of wallboards can be broken down by bacteria resulting in large volumes…

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…addressed. Moreover, open communication is important to address any emerging issues or concerns quickly before opposition builds. Open communication can easily build and earn public trust (Waste 360, 2011).Include contact information on how the receivers can gain more information or actively participate.The first point of contact ought to be the regional office. Landfill oversight is usually conducted either at the local or state level. Therefore, one should contact their local or state health or environmental agency to ask about them. The following link can be utilized to quickly find an environmental agency regional office https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/links-hazardous-waste-programs-and-us-state-environmental-agencies. Social media accounts can also be used to engage the environment or health offices and officials.Provide notes on lessons learned or best practices.According to most experts, there is no fault-less siting model. The following are the most important lessons:· Successful siting requires community participation and engagement with both officials and representatives.· It is important to engage public sector representatives at every stage of the process.· Successful siting is a product of thorough evaluation, risk communication, and consultative decision-making.· Accurate and reliable information is required for resolving issues during sitting.· Careful planning and proper management are required skills for sitting.· There is a need for flexibility during negotiations.· States play a crucial role in siting.· All information needs to be accurate and honest.· Siting can involve….....

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