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Proposals to reduce wastes through recycling or at the source (e.g., less packaging)
will only slightly reduce the rate of increase. Public pressure is causing the siting
of landfills to become difficult.
With the realization that all engineered facilities will likely fail, releasing leachate to the ecosystem, numerous issues have begun to emerge.
http://www.nwri.ca/threatsfull/ch12-2-e.html
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...
Even more disturbing results are reported by Bonaparte and Gross (1990, pp. 52-83)
who found that the leakage rate in the 'best practice' liners was about 20 gallons
per acre per day. In a 10-acre landfill this means about 73,000 gallons of toxic
fluids per year will leak into the ground water.
...
http://www.21century.com.au/environment/wratd/Report1.htm
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According to the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), birds carry every known subtype of influenza A.
Many wild birds carry avian flu in their intestines and shed the virus in their droppings, but they don't usually get sick from it. Domesticated birds, however, can get sick when they come into contact with contaminated water, feed or soil. Birds spread the disease to each other through their saliva, respiratory secretions and droppings.
People have no immunity to avian strains of flu, so these viruses can be especially deadly.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/bird-flu.htm
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The trouble with birds on landfill sites is that they tend to be very tame.
http://www.allsopp.co.uk/bird/b2.html
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These are the major health and safety reasons for removal of such birds. Should the landfill have a
large number of gulls around the face area, it becomes close to impossible for the bulldozer operators to
even see each other. If you have ever been behind the wheel of one of these you will understand why.
There are large vertical grilled bars that extend from the bucket of the bulldozer to help push the garbage. It requires the skill of an experienced operator to see through that without adding a couple thousand birds at the operator's eye Level.
The birds might ingest their food on the landfill or take those items off landfill property. This removal of garbage is a large
concern as waste material from landfills is transferred to nearby residential properties via birds. If the landfill is close to farmers
fields, the potential for transplanted disease to animals as well as crop damage is quite large. If the landfill is near
residential housing you could be at risk of spreading several diseases such as e-coli & salmonella. From understanding how the bird harbors diseases we can demonstrate
the four ways the diseases are passed by the bird to humans.
http://www.hawkeye.ca/landfills.shtml
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Some firefighters made ill by job will be compensated, minister says BY SHELLEY PAGE
Ontario will begin compensating some firefighters who developed colon cancer as a result of their exposure to deadly chemicals on the job, Ontario’s Labour Minister Steve Peters says.
...Ottawa’s Mark Johnston, formerly of the Nepean fire department
... 43, may not be alive by then. He was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 39 after 12 years on the job.
...WSIB do not adequately compensate sick firefighters.
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SOURCE: Environmental Research Foundation, P.O. Box 5036, Annapolis, MD 21403, Fax (410) 263-8944; Internet: erf@rachel.org, Phone: (410) 263-1584; Fax: (410) 263-8944
http://www.zerowasteamerica.org/BasicsOfLandfills.htm
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Babies born to mothers living near landfill sites are more likely to suffer minor birth defects, a study has shown. (photo: 1493900.landfillsite.jpg) Dr Pat Troop, the government's deputy chief medical officer, said this could mean an extra 100 babies being born annually with defects, such as spina bifida, abdominal wall and gut problems and 2,500 more low weight babies.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1494567.stm
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Harriet Medlicott was born six years ago with a deformed windpipe and she has had to undergo three major operations.
She suffers from pneumonia and needs regular medication and constant care from her family.
Harriet Mendicott is recovering from a major operation
Her mother Natalie, from Gelli, Rhondda, south Wales, she had been told at the time of Harriet's birth that she had been born with a rare defect.
Then two years later, another child in the same village - which is just a mile from the Nantygwyddon landfill site - was diagnosed with the same rare condition.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1494963.stm
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As well as concerns over the volume of traffic, villagers have questioned how safe pupils walking to the local secondary school will be.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/899743.stm
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HDPE is a flexible, robust plastic that is now the most common liner used. Other plastics such as polyvinylchloride (PVC) may also be used. Plastic liners are usually constructed 30 to 100 mm thick and are effective at preventing leakage of most substances.
However, plastic liners commonly have imperfections (cracks, holes, weak seams etc) that allow some things to seep through. Some household chemicals found in waste, such as vinegar, alcohol and nail polish remover, can also degrade HDPE. Studies have shown that a 10-acre landfill site will leak between 0.2 and 10 gallons a day through the plastic liner
http://www.portfolio.mvm.ed.ac.uk/studentwebs/session4/7/about%20landfill.htm
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Elevated arsenic concentrations in groundwater have been repeatedly observed near landfill sites in North Central Massachusetts where arsenic may or may not have been an obvious component of the disposed waste material within the landfill. Landfill leachate generated by excess water percolating through the waste layers is often associated with pollutants in the downgradient subsurface water. The discharge of landfill leachates into the groundwater system also strongly influences the chemistry of aquifers in the proximity of the landfills.
http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2003NE/finalprogram/abstract_51471.htm
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...officials are very careful about what they say and what they don't say about landfills.
They've been known to gerrymander hearing schedules and locations and reduce public input and resistance.
http://thedumpsite.homestead.com/myths.html
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more to come soon...
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