Problem
Discharge of dangerous substances into sewage systems
Other Names:
Improper disposal of materials into the sewer Nature:
During the past ten years, industry has developed hundreds of new chemicals that are known to pass undegraded through conventional systems for sewage treatment; these substances constitute a serious pollution problem. They may be discharged directly into sewage systems as industrial waste, or after purchase by the commercial or domestic consumer.
Incidence:
Special attention has been given to detergents, which until recently were a serious threat to both underground and surface waters as they contained chemical substances that could not be broken down by biological means. More persistent classes of substances which appear in domestic sewage systems are pharmaceutical drugs, silver, mercury and other toxic metals from photographic processing, solvents, pesticides, dyes and other substances used in hobbies and small business practices.
Broader Problems:
Sewage as a pollutantUnsafe hazardous waste disposalImpurities in waste waterIllicit discharge of dangerous substances Narrower Problems:
Water pollution by pharmaceuticalsInadequate disposal of female sanitary protection Aggravates:
Toxic metal pollutantsMetal contamination of soilChemical pollutants of the environmentAccumulation of pollutants in marine wildlifeToxic industrial chemicalsDomestic waste water pollutantsEnvironmental hazards of pharmaceutical products Values:
DangerousImpropriety Subject(s):
→ SystemsFundamental Sciences → Material
Societal Problems → Effluent
Societal Problems → Hazards
Societal Problems → Waste
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
Problem Type:
E: Emanations of other problems Date of last update
08.05.2019 – 19:33 CEST