ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book presents background information on hazardous waste management issues. It discusses the Fundamentals of Hazard, Exposure, and Risk Assessment, presents some important definitions that are basic to understanding the nature of hazards and risks associated with hazardous waste facilities and/or sites. The book also discusses the Risk Assessment Techniques and Methods of Approach, elaborates on specific methods employed in evaluating risks associated with hazardous waste management decisions. Waste production is an inevitable characteristic of an industrial society. The effective management of hazardous wastes, and the associated treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, is of major concern only to the industry producing such material, but also to governments and individual citizens alike due to the nature and potential impact of such wastes on the environment and public health.
