Environment Management Puzzles on “Hazardous Waste”.
1. When can we classify waste as hazardous?
a) When waste won’t cause any mortality
b) When waste increase mortality
c) When waste decrease mortality
d) When waste decompose itself without any aid
Answer: b
Clarification: Waste is normally classified as hazardous when it causes an increase in mortality o an increase in series irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness or the environment when improperly treated or disposed.
2. Based on how many primary characteristics we can classified waste as hazardous?
a) One
b) Two
c) Three
d) Four
Answer: d
Clarification: Waste is classified as hazardous if it exhibits any four primary characteristics based on the physical or chemical properties of toxicity, reactivity, ignitability and corrosivity. In addition to these waste products is also classified as hazardous.
3. What is a toxic waste?
a) Substances those are not poisonous
b) Substances those are poisonous only when it taken in large quantity
c) Substances those are poisonous only when it taken in small quantity
d) Substances which work as an antidote for toxic materials
Answer: c
Clarification: Toxic wastes are substances that are poisonous even in very small or trace amounts. Some may have an acute effect on humans causing death, others may have a chronic or long term effect, slowly causing irreparable harm to humans and other organisms.
4. Why chronic toxicity is difficult to determine?
a) Because there is no cure for that
b) Because it causes only little problems
c) Because effects can be seen immediately
d) Because effects may not be seen for years
Answer: d
Clarification: Chronic toxicity is much difficult to determine because the effects may not be seen for years. One of the examples of chronic toxicity is cancer which can’t find immediately. Certain toxic wastes are known to be carcinogenic and others may be mutagenic.
5. Which of the following have a tendency to react vigorously with water or air?
a) Toxic waste
b) Reactive waste
c) Corrosive waste
d) Infectious waste
Answer: b
Clarification: Reactive waste is that which has a tendency to react vigorously with air or water. It is unstable to shock or heat, generates toxic gases or explodes during routine management such as gunpowder.
6. Modern society doesn’t produce a large quantity of hazardous waste.
a) True
b) False
Answer: b
Clarification: Modern society produces hazardous waste. It produces large quantities of hazardous waste generated by chemical manufacturing companies, petroleum refineries, paper mills, smelters and other industries.
7. What is an ignitable waste?
a) Waste which can burn relatively low temperatures
b) Waste which can burn relatively high temperatures
c) Waste which don’t burn
d) Waste which don’t produce temperature
Answer: a
Clarification: Ignitable waste is that which burns at relatively low temperatures say less than 60 Celsius. It is capable of spontaneous combustion during storage, transport or disposal gasoline, paint thinners and alcohol.
8. What kind of reactions happens in corrosive waste?
a) Physical
b) Electro-chemical
c) Biological
d) Chemical
Answer: d
Clarification: In corrosive waste the reaction that happens is chemical. Corrosive waste is that which destroys materials and living tissue by chemical reaction such as acid and bases and thus cause hazardous to organisms.
9. Where we can get radioactive wastes?
a) Small scale industries
b) Houses
c) Nuclear power plants
d) Vehicular wastes
Answer: c
Clarification: Nuclear power plants are the source for radioactive wastes. Radioactive waste is the output from nuclear power plants that can persist in the environment for thousands of years before it decays and cause hazardous to the environment.
10. Which of the following is a hazardous substance?
a) Gold
b) Lead
c) Copper
d) Iron
Answer: b
Clarification: Lead is a hazardous substance often referred to as heavy metals. Lead is abundant heavy metal and is relatively easy to obtain. Most of the lead absorbed by people and wildlife is stored in the bones.
11. How do PCBs impact on birds?
a) They decrease the memory
b) They cause reproductive failure
c) They cause bird flu
d) They cause indigestion
Answer: b
Clarification: PCBs is one of the hazardous waste that impact on greater extent to environment. These PCBs can cause reproductive failure in birds and mammals. Thus this kind of hazardous waste use must be use in limited quantity with precautionary measures.
12. Vinyl chloride is widely used in the manufacture of______________
a) Glass
b) Agricultural chemicals
c) Storage of aquatic foods
d) Plastics
Answer: d
Clarification: Vinyl chloride is a chemical that is widely used in the manufacture of plastic. A long continuous exposure in humans can cause deafness, vision problems and bone deformities. Vinyl chloride also causes birth defects.
13. In order to dispose hazardous waste where there are no abundant lands which method is used?
a) Land disposal
b) Burning
c) Floats in water bodies
d) Incineration
Answer: d
Clarification: The most common methods for disposing of hazardous waste are land disposal and incineration. In countries where there is abundant land available for disposal land disposal is used and countries where there is no abundant land incineration method is used.
14. The use of polyvinyl chloride can be lowered by reducing the use of plastic.
a) True
b) False
Answer: a
Clarification: Polyvinyl chloride use can lowered the use of plastics. In plastic PCBs is the essential substitute by using polyvinyl chloride we can reduce the use of plastic. By reducing waste, recycling and using products which are durable we can reduce the consumption of chemicals which are causing hazardous to the environment.