In the United States, hazardous wastes are legally defined as materials that have ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic properties. In the early 1990s approximately 97 percent of all hazardous waste in the United States was produced by 2 percent of the waste generators. Remediation and cleanup of these wastes involve substantial economic cost. Since the 1970s the United States and other Western democracies have tried to regulate hazardous waste disposal. Hazardous wastes are also a serious... więcej

Salem Press Encyclopedia, 2023. 2p.