Recognizing Hazards and How People May Be

Exposed to Contaminants

by Jennifer WilliamsAlaska Tribal Waste and Response Assistance

Program Coordinator

Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals907-250-3826

OutcomeParticipants will be able to:

Identify hazardous substances.

Identify products and materials that may contain hazardous substances.

Identify how people may be exposed to contaminants.

Locate resources to identify health risks associated with the hazardous substances.

Hazardous Substances

LeadMercuryCadmium Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)

Petroleum ProductsSolventsEthylene GlycolAcids, Ammonia, Sodium Hydroxide

Lead: Where is it?Lead Acid BatteriesTV screens and computer monitorsOther electronics PaintWeights AmmunitionLead solder Lead pipesBuilding demolition with lead-based paint

Vehicle: wheel weights, battery cablesHazardous during use, in open dump, or when burned?

Mercury: Where is it?Batteries ThermometersFluorescent Lights NecklacesThermostat Switches and ProbesSwitches and RelaysChildren’s light up shoesBarometer and Blood Pressure GaugesHazardous during use,

in open dump, or when burned?

Tilt Switch from a Thermostat

Thermostat

(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com

Tilt type of mercury switch which conducts electricity and used in many appliances.

Mercury Tilt Switch Thermostat contains two switches (one tilts when too hot, other when too cold)

Mercury Tilt Switch Thermostat with glass ampule containing mercury (tips left or right for contact)

(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com

Light Switch (tilts a chamber, where mercury tips onto or off a pair of electrical contacts)

(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.comTilt Switch Example

Chest freezers and refrigerators manufactured prior to 2000, may have a mercury tilt switch incorporated in the light socket and relays.

http://www.newmoa.org/

Tilt switches are ideal for monitoring and control devices and applications. They are used in familiar products such as clothes irons, kitchen appliances, cell phones, alarms, and washing machines. They are used in mining operations, test and lab equipment, heavy equipment, industrial, marine, and medical equipment.

Float switches monitor liquid levels and are most frequently used in sump pumps. They are also found in bilge pumps, boilers, sewage treatment plants, and pumping stations.

(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com

Thermostat Probes or flame sensors consist of a bulb attached to a gas-control valve by a tube containing mercury (used to prevent gas from flowing when the pilot light of the appliance is off).

Used in older gas-fired appliances: clothes dryers, space heaters, water heaters, stoves, and furnaces.

Relay - the mercury makes and breaks electrical contacts (this relay was meant to switch industrial three-phase power)

Blood Pressure Monitor contains at least a cubic inch of mercury

(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com

Metal Halide Bulbs

(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com

Metal halide lamps are the brightest light available and are found in several HID applications.

High Pressure Sodium

Metal Vapor Lamps

Fluorescent Lamps

Alternatives to older model fluorescent lamps are labeled as low-mercury lamps and often can be recognized by their green end caps or green lettering.

Fluorescent, HID (high intensity discharge) lamps such as Mercury Vapor, High Pressure Sodium and Metal Halide, and Neon all contain mercury in a metallic as well as vapor form.

Fever Thermometer

(c) 2010 Theodore Gray, periodictable.com

Barometers

Hood and trunk convenience light switches (a sealed metal pellet)

http://www.switchout.ca/

Anti-lock Braking System G-Force sensor module (two or three mercury switch capsules)

http://www.switchout.ca/

don’t attempt to remove mercury switch capsules from sensor module

Since the late 1990s North American battery manufacturers have reduced mercury content in batteries by 95%. The use of mercury in alkaline batteries has been eliminated except for button cells.

Nickel-cadmium (NiCad) Batteries

Slick colored papers and magazines

Tires CigarettesElectronics Plastics

Cadmium: Where is it?

Hazardous during use, in open dump, or when burned?

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) : Where are they?Capacitors Old TVs & Refrigerators

Electrical Transformers Electrical EquipmentOld Fluorescent Lighting FixturesElectrical Appliances w/ PCB Capacitors

Hydraulic FluidsHazardous during use, in open dump, or when burned?

Native Village of Venetie

PCB Transformers

Native Village of Venetie

PCB Transformers

PCB Transformers

www.rd.com

Electrical ballasts to power fluorescent light fixtures manufactured prior to and during 1979 contain PCBs.

New Ballast

Old Ballast

Petroleum ProductsKerosene Crude Oil

Jet Fuel GasolineRange Oil Tanks/SpillsHome Heating OilDiesel FuelUsed Oil (DO NOT MIX WITH SOLVENTS)Hazardous during use, in open dump, or when burned?

Vehicle & Machine Waste

Parts-cleanerPetroleum-based products, solvents

Oil-based Paintssolvents (ethylene, toluene,

PAHs)heavy metals (cadmium,

chromium)flammable (potentially

explosive) Paint Thinner, Turpentine

petroleum-based solventsacetone, toluene, xylene,

mineral spirits, methyl ethyl ketone, methylene chloride

Solvent-contaminated rags

Other Waste with Hazardous Substances

Refrigerator Manufactured Prior to 1995

Ethylene Glycol: Where is it?Ethylene glycol is used to make antifreeze and de-icing solutions for ATVs, snow machines, cars, airplanes, and boats

Hazardous during use, in open dump, or when burned?

Hydraulic brake fluidAlso found in inks used in stamp pads, ballpoint pens, and print shops

Unknowns

Many villages have metal drums and 5-gallon buckets with unknown liquid contents. These drums generally contain waste-oil, glycol, solvents or a combination of unknowns. These drums require testing by trained individuals to be properly labeled and handled prior to removal.

Other Waste with Hazardous SubstancesClinical Waste: EPA’s Guide to Hazardous Waste Management at Tribal Health Care Clinics

Honey Buckets / Disposable Diapers

Ash

Construction and Demolition Debris

Pesticides

PBDEs - Flame Retardant Chemicals

Common cleaning products such as bleach, disinfectants, and other common household cleaners contain solvents, acids, and other ingredients that can harm you.

Bleach (calcium & sodium hypochlorite)Ammonia

Do Not Mix Bleach and AmmoniaDo Not Mix Bleach and Acids (vinegar, some glass cleaners, dish detergents, drain cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners)

Common Cleaning Products

Household Hazardous WastesLeftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients…such as paints, cleaners, oils, batteries, and pesticides that contain potentially hazardous ingredients and require special care when you dispose of them.

www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/materials/hhw.htm

Doesn’t Include Wastes FromBusinesses, Government, or Schools.

Hazardous Waste Management Varies Depending on Who Generates the Waste

Hazardous Waste Management Varies Depending on Who Generates the Waste

For more information on regulation of Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, and Household Hazardous Waste contact:

Ted Jacobson, RurAL CAP 865-7363

Doug Huntman, ADEC, 269-7642

Terry Berger, Mat-Su Borough, 746-2826

How Are People Exposed to Contaminants?Environmental Health: The theory and practice of assessing, correcting, controlling, and preventing those factors in the environment that can potentially adversely affect the health of present and future generations.

Understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of human disease.

Understanding the impact of environmental contaminants on human health.

Exposure Pathway

1. Source

2. Way to Travel

3. Point of Exposure

4. Route of exposure

5. Receptor population, people exposed

Sources of ExposureDump (what is being dumped that could be

transported by water or other media to a point of exposure or immediately become the route of exposure)

Car, boat, ATV batteries Button-cell batteries, fluorescent

lights Old drums Transformers, light ballasts Electronics

Burning at the dump, home, or school (what is being burned that could be transported to a point of exposure or immediately become the route of exposure)

Plastics (PVC pipes, vinyl, toys, binders)

Electronics

Media - Transport Mechanisms

www.epa.gov/greatlakes/atlas/glat-ch4.html

Air

Water

Surface Water

Soil

Ground Water

Sediment

Biota - Animal and Plant Life

Air Transport

PCBs, dioxins, and heavy metals such as mercury and lead can all travel long distances and locally.

Contaminated Groundwater

www.epa.gov/superfund/students/clas_act/haz-ed/ff_05.htm

Pollutants can seep into groundwater, making it unusable and no longer safe to drink. Ground water can be polluted by seepage through landfills, septic tanks, and leaky fuel tanks.

Soil to Water Transport

www.epa-prgs.ornl.gov/radionuclides/soilgw.shtml

.

Soil-gas Vapor Intrusion

www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/ask_treehugger_6.php

Volatile chemicals in contaminated soil or ground water may allow gas to migrate through subsurface soils affecting the indoor air quality of areas buildings. Most common are fuel-related.

Water Transport through Wetlands

Beachwood Historical Alliance

Sediment Transport

www.epa.gov/greatlakes/atlas/glat-ch4.html

Sediment resuspension. PCBs, dioxins, and many heavy metals do not dissolve well in water, therefore, absorb onto sediments or organic particles that are suspended in water.

Soil / Dust Transport

Biota - Animals Bioconcentrate Contaminants Chemical is taken up directly from air, water, and soil, stored in various tissues and organs in body

Chemicals build-up over time

Younger Older

The shaded fill represents contaminants

Dioxins (TCDD), PCBs, & DDT accumulate in fatty tissueCadmium accumulates in kidneys and livers (cigarette smoking)

Biomagnification

From: Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami website

Higher concentrations in organisms at higher levels in the food chain.

Different Chemicals Move Differently in the Environment

Some are VOLATILE - go into air

Benzene, gasoline vapors, solvents

Some DISSOLVE IN WATER, move with water

Sugar, salt

Some HATE WATER, would rather stay in soil

Oil, DDT, PCBs

Some break down quickly in environment; others don’t

Points of ExposurePlaces where people can come in contact

with the contaminant of concern

Dump Solvents, old drums PCB transformers, light ballasts

Burning at the dump, home, or school Plastics (PVC pipes, vinyl, toys,

binders) Electronics Magazines, colored paper Electronics

Creek, river, well water

Home, school, playground, hang-out areas

Subsistence food

Routes of ExposureRespiratory Tract / Lungs - Breathing, Inhalation most important route for toxic substances most fragile easiest and fastest means of exposure

Digestive Tract - Eating, Hand/Mouth Activity Vulnerable to compounds that can be easily absorbed and taken into the body cells. Usually occurs accidentally or unknowingly

Skin - Dermal Absorption Most common path of toxic exposure Organic solvents absorbed easily

Other Routes of Exposure

Eye - The eye is a common point of contact for toxic substances. Acidic and basic compounds are the most common types of exposure that do damage.

Injections Intravenous injections (into veins, arteries - materials entering the circulatory system can be detoxified in the liver or excreted through the kidneys) Intramuscular injections (into the muscle) Intra peritoneal injections (into the abdominal cavity) Intradermal injections (into the skin) Subcutaneous injections (under the skin)

Example: Lead Inhalation Pathway?

YES, if trash is burned and contains lead

DECREASE exposure by removing objects that contain a lot of lead (lead-acid batteries, computer monitors)

DECREASE exposure by burning when wind is blowing away from people

Often stuck onto particles (dust on hands transferred to food, drink)

Lead-shot becomes transport and meat becomes point of exposure (not biomagnified)

Drinking water (lead pipes source, groundwater not likely)

Children sucking on toys with lead in paint

Lead paint (buildings from FUDS sites, old BIA schools)

Fumes from melted lead (casting bullets, fishing weights)

Dust from indoor shooting ranges

Lead Exposure

Vinyl Chloride: Where is it?Vinyl Chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC)

Variety of plastic products:PVC PipeWire Records Shoes ClothesPackaging material Shrink Wrap#3 PlasticsCable coatings

Example: DioxinsHow Are They Formed?

Burning materials made with polyvinyl chloride:

Example: DioxinsHow do we inhale/ingest it? Transported by

Air Water (bind to sediment and

organic matter) Soils

Bioaccumulate in food chains Highly soluble in fat

Transported long distances Not Biodegradable (persistent)

Match the routes of exposure with the correct way for the hazard to enter the body.

A.AbsorptionB.IngestionC.Inhalation

___ Skin

___ Mouth

___ Eye

___ Intestine

___ Nose

People/Population Exposed

Small children playing in the dirt

Children at school

Elders

Dump site workers

Trash haulers

Families near spill site, burn site, dump

Everyone in the village

Exposure to Toxic Substances Depends On: Route (the way the person was exposed: breathing, eating, or touching) Duration (how long the exposure lasted: acute or chronic) Frequency (how often the exposure occurred) Concentration (the concentration level of the chemical at the point of exposure) Population (the person or persons exposed) Exposure to other toxic substances Other factors to consider when determining potential exposures to toxic substances include diet, lifestyle choices, and occupation

ATSDR RoleThe Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is part of the US Department of Health and Human Services, created in 1980 to provide health-based information for use in cleanup of chemical waste disposal sites mandated by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).

ATSDR examines the health effects from exposure to contaminants at NPL and non-NPL sites.Online Training @ www.atsdr.cdc.gov/training/toxmanual

EPA Role & Other SourcesThe US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is is responsible for a number of activities, including enforcing federal laws designed to protect the human health and the environment.

EPA deals with the environmental impacts of exposure to hazardous substances.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Electronic Databases

TOXNET - www.toxnet.nlm.nih.gov

CHEMTREC - www.chemtrec.org

Material Safety Data Sheets - www.osha.gov

Hazardous Substances & Health Effects Database (HAZDAT) - www.atsdr.cdc.gov

The Extension Toxicology Network (EXTOXNET) - http://extoxnet.orst.edu

Other Sources of InformationSolutions for Hazardous Waste in ANVs (Guide)

www.zendergroup.org/haz.htm

Solid Waste Health and Environmental Considerations

www.ccthita-swan.org/planning/health.cfm

Alaska Contaminants Monitoring Studies

www.akcontaminants.org

Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry: Toxic Substances Portal, ToxFAQs, Profiles

www.atsdr.cdc.gov

HAZ-ED - Activities for understanding Haz Waste www.epa.gov/superfund/students/clas_act