ABSTRACT
This text is intended to provide to the upper division undergraduate or graduate student, or to the practitioner, an overview of the hazardous waste management field of study. It is a wide-ranging overview touching upon literally dozens of related subjects, any one of which is or may be a field of study in its own right. Fortunately or unfortunately, that is the nature of the practice of hazardous waste management. In recent years it has become a highly complex mix of the life and natural sciences; several fields of engineering and technology; epidemiology, toxicology, and preventative medicine; industrial hygiene; administration; law; and public relations, to name a few. As this is written, it is currently poised to become even more complex in the embodiment and use of new technologies. It goes without saying that a single course cannot deal with any of the associated topics in any detail. However, the student should gain from this book sufficient understanding of the field to assist in making decisions regarding the field of study and in organizing those studies.
