ABSTRACT
Municipal solid wastes did not pose a significant problem [URL Ref. No. 211,220] until humans established settlements or congregated in large numbers (Scrudato and Pagano, 1993; Brack, 1998; Mikac et al., 1998). Prior to that time, it is con ceivable that the types and quantities of wastes were readily degraded or consumed by animals or naturally degraded with out causing significant impact to the environment, although it should be understood that ancient empires such as the Incas and Egyptians are still yielding information to various schol ars in pursuit of early and ancient archeology. However, as populations became more clustered, the amount and concen trations of wastes became increasingly problematic (Vogel, 1999; Kayabali et al., 1998). The Greeks developed municipal “dumps” around 500 B.C., the ancient Romans used open dumps, and in the 1400s A.D., the mounds of waste in Paris were so high they obscured the views from the city. With the industrial revolution, not only the quantity and quality of wastes changed, but the number and sizes of urban areas in creased dramatically. During the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, the urban population of the United States increased from less than 2 million to more than 54 million persons (Scrudato and Pagano, 1993). The crowding of large numbers of people into urban settings created severe environmental health concerns. Wastes were thrown into the streets, fed to animals, or discarded into nearby rivers, creating in some in stances acute environmental health impacts [URL Ref. No. 166] that are still being measured (Clister and Hibbs, 1998).
