The toxic threat to people who live or work near landfills had been known about and preached by the EPA for decades.
In 1988, the USEPA concluded that all landfills will cause environmental damage because they will leak their toxic constituents (“even the best liner and leachate collection systems will ultimately fail due to natural deterioration…”).
In 1996, the EPA determined that “municipal solid waste landfills cause, or contribute significantly to, air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.”
This air threat is described in great detail by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its National Air Toxics Program, which designated municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills as one of the 29 most significant area sources of hazardous air pollutants including, but not limited to, “known human carcinogens” such as vinyl chloride and benzene [65 FR 66672 (11/7/00)].
Again, according to the U.S. EPA, “landfill gas contains carbon dioxide, methane, [volatile organic compounds] VOC, [hazardous air pollutants] HAP, and odorous compounds that can adversely affect public health and the environment…exposure to HAP can cause a variety of health problems such as cancerous illnesses, respiratory irritation, and central nervous system damage.”
In summary, the U.S. EPA has determined that “emissions from municipal solid waste landfills cause, or contribute significantly to, air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.”
Question: If “emissions from municipal solid waste landfills . . . may reasonably be expected to endanger public health or welfare,” would it not be reasonable to stop all municipal landfill expansions?