Landfills Hazard to the Community

Include the risk or hazard to the community, and provide three bullets addressing the primary message that you want to share about the hazard or risk.

Landfills produce bad odors and gas that can affect the health of people living around them. They are also the source of toxic chemicals that get into water sources near them and affect both human life and wildlife. The types of gases commonly found in landfills include carbon dioxide, methane, sulfides, and ammonia. The bad odor from landfills is usually the Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. Methane is a flammable gas. In high concentrations, it can become explosive. This is especially true when it collects in an enclosed/ indoor area. Methane and carbon dioxide also affect displacing oxygen from buildings and can lead to suffocation in affected nearby buildings (Department of Health, n.d).

Many different types of gases are commonly found in landfills. Carbon dioxide and methane make up between 90 and 98 percent of landfill gases. Other common gases produced by landfills include hydrogen, sulfides, ammonia, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide. The gases are produced by bacteria working on organic waste. The volume of gas produced by a landfill is dependent on the temperature, the humidity/ moisture level, the availability of oxygen, the age of a landfill, and the waste type available. For example, a landfill with a lot of organic waste will produce a lot of landfill gases. Another example, higher temperatures around or in a landfill will produce a lot of landfill gases. Furthermore, an old landfill is more likely to produce more gases because of well-established bacteria colonies, unlike new landfills. Most landfill usually reaches their peak in gas production in about five years and can produce gases for five decades continuously (Department of Health, n.d; Fedcenter, n.d).

Landfill gases can easily move into the ground underneath a landfill and then escape into the air and get into nearby buildings. Escaped landfill gases can get into nearby buildings through ventilation systems, doors, and windows. In the ground, landfill gases can travel through the soil and enter houses through utility entry points, cracked basements/ floors, floors drain, sump pump holes, and so on. This is referred to as soil vapor intrusion. The moment soil vapor intrusion occurs, landfill gases often collect in places with poor air circulation such as utility tunnels, crawlspaces, and basements (Department of Health, n.d; ATSDR, n.d).

The bad smells from landfills are primarily caused by landfill gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide. These gases are produced by bacteria that breakdown waste. For instance, a landfill with plenty of wallboards can be broken down by bacteria resulting in large volumes of hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide smells like eggs that are rotting. Ammonia, on the other hand, has a bad pungent smell. Low levels of these two gases can easily be detected by humans, thanks to how bad they smell. Once detected by smell, these gases are present in levels that can harm humans and animals (Department of Health, n.d; Hazardous Waste Experts, 2019).

Short-term exposure to high levels of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia (typically exposure lasting for only two weeks) can result in breathing difficulties, nausea, headache, eye irritation, nose irritation, throat irritation, and coughing. Once the exposure is stopped, the above generally go away. Research studies conducted in built-up areas around landfills have reported people being affected by landfill gases. Some studies have established that prolonged exposure to landfill gases can cause lung, throat, eye irritation, sleeping difficulties, headaches, nasal blockage, chest pain, weight loss, and aggravated asthma (Department of Health, n.d).

Provide a brief critique of the risk or hazard communication tools and existing strategies used in your community.

The main objective of communicating risk is to enable participants to make informed contributions during decision-making. Risk communication is only regarded to be successful when it adequately increases the comprehension of stakeholders\' relevant issues. Communicators ought to share the health and environmental risks posed by the facility with the public, plus the precautions being taken to manage them (Waste 360, 2011). Those who think landfill gases are entering their homes ought to be told to contact the Regional State Department of Environmental Conservation office.

Identify the action that the message receiver should take to reduce the risk.

A developer or homeowner\'s actions to prevent soil vapor intrusion include minimizing entry points and increasing air circulation/ improving ventilation. Entry points can be minimized by eliminating gaps and cracks in the basement floor via caulking and sealing. Taking such measures can help to cut the intrusion of soil vapor into buildings. In new buildings or those close to landfills, a sub-slab-depressurization system can be utilized to reduce vapor intrusion (Department of Health, n.d).

Include two samples of what officials would say in a Twitter or social media post.

Sample 1: At the local landfill meeting today, meeting with residents to discuss the landfill and recycling issues.

Sample 2: Today is the National Reuse Day! Remember to reuse to protect the environment. We only have this one earth; let us protect it.

Provide two questions and answers.

Question 1: What are the cause of landfill problems and poor community relations?

Answer: A landfill can be regarded either as a risky liability or a public asset. No public opinion on the usage of a landfill was sought. Quickly diminishing public support can result in lawsuits, opposition to expansion or new sites, and unnecessary regulatory scrutiny – even for a well-managed landfill (Waste 360, 2011).

Question 2: Is there a way of building public trust?

Answer: Absolutely. However, it must be noted that community relations must begin before choosing a site. The conventional method of looking for sites secretively and then announcing them and then defending them is no longer applicable. This is because it can result in long-drawn court cases or mistrust and opposition during construction or operations. This is why it is critical to engage communities very early on during sitting to ensure that consensus and concerns are addressed. Moreover, open communication is important to address any emerging issues or concerns quickly before opposition builds. Open communication can easily build and earn public trust (Waste 360, 2011).