Perpetual Care: The Role of Engineers in Management of Toxic Waste

Public concern for the management of toxic wastes has grown with the unprecedented release of chemical compounds into the environment and the growth of scientific knowledge regarding their unintended as well as intended effects. As awareness of possible risks increased, government began to regulate the commercial use of toxic materials, but their disposal as waste was left largely to local political jurisdictions and unregulated private firms. A series of environmental disasters (e.g., at Love Canal, NY) alarmed the public and led to creation of the Superfund and numerous state measures to bring the toxic waste problem under control. Efforts made to date have not matched the magnitude of the issue. The engineering professions—and especially civil engineers—have a major role to play in the design and management of systems to abate the problem. No single method may suffice; recycling, detoxifying, and neutralizing are among the alternative solutions. Major ethical problems are involved in the care and custody of dangerous substances that cannot be destroyed and may require perpetual care. Meanwhile engineers are handicapped in their role until our society and its political representatives decide to give the issue the attention that human health and safety requires.