chemical waste :: essays research papers

          Clean Up Of Chemical Waste     Chemical spills are major problems that haunt the environment. stringent government regulation are trying help this problem, but governmental leaders face many challenges. Disposal of harmful chemical substances is often difficult and costly. Since chemical waste has destroyed the environment, steps are being taken to prevent further pollution, Like the Yucca mountain project.      A local anaesthetic based pharmaceutical beau monde named Novo Nordisk released its 1999 environmental report. The company, which strives to keep from contaminating the environment, confessed to two separate accidents for the year. A North Carolina plant was fined from the United States Department of Agriculture 1,000 dollars. Due to the fact that hydrochloric acid was given up of in the public sewage system. New management has taken live up to to insure this does not happen again. Also at the Gentofte site in Denmark effluent with the E- Coli bacteria was drained into the public sewage system from a leaky heater exchanger. The incident was reported to the local authorities and cleaned up quickly.       A local company offered to donate expired chemicals to local schools. The chemicals have expired to which they can be used in schools for experiments and related activities. The companies prefer to donate the chemicals because it keeps them from the costly action of disposing of them properly. For example Novo Nordisk in Clayton, North Carolina has a program in which they donate hydrochloric acid and other expired chemicals to Clayton High School. A chemistry teacher at North Johnston High School was unaware that companies could donate their expired chemicals. Her comment of the quality of the expired chemicals was positive. "Expired chemicals would be fine to use for experiments and help me come forth a lot due to the small budget I a m allowed each year for chemicals". A representative from Novo Nordisk stated that a program could easy be established if schools would show interest in the program.      Certain disasters stick out in the minds of many people . Chernobyl was a nuclear plant in Ukraine that ended up being the worst nuclear leak in history. The media reported that, "On April 26, 1986, Chernobyls number four reactor exploded, spewing a slander of radioactive material across a portion of Europe in the worlds worst civilian nuclear reactor disaster". Officials estimate that about thirty people were killed immediately and more than fifteen thousand people died in the emergency clean up afterwards.