Heavy metals may accumulate in a garbage dump or landfill over time. If the metals are not contained then they can contaminate the environment.
Sources of heavy metals include:
(1) industrial waste
(2) ceramics and glass
(3) lead batteries
(4) renovation waste
Risk factors for the presence of heavy metals:
(1) large waste site
(2) unregulated and uncontrolled dumping
(3) failure to monitor
Ways heavy metals can affect the environment:
(1) leachate contaminating adjacent water supplies
(2) fire that can aerosolize the metals
(3) contamination of soil used to cover the site after remediation
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Specialty: Emergency Medicine
