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Methane Emissions From Landfills: Problems And Solution
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Groundwater contamination may result from leakage of very small amounts
of leachate. TCE is a carcinogen typically found in landfill leachate.
It would take less than 4 drops of TCE mixed with the water in an
average swimming pool (20,000 gallons) to render the water undrinkable.
Some surveys conducted have shown that 82% of the landfills have leaks
and up to 41% of the landfills had a leak area of more than one square
foot. EPA sponsored research shows that burying household garbage in the
ground poisoned the ground water. The EPA has stressed that, even with
the double liner landfills, the probability of leaking is very high.
As
the number of landfills increase the likelihood of leaks increases
five-fold. The increase in trash is due to population growth and
consumerism. United States population growth is equivalent or marginally
lower than most middle to low-middle income developing countries but
the American rate of consumption is far greater than any other developed
or developing country today. The amount of waste collected in an
average American house hold is far greater than that of any developed or
developing country in the world today.
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