Table of Toxic Effects of Leachate: Alarmist or Realistic?

We occasionally encounter information about leachate which we find interesting and highlight the information to our readers, for information and your comment.

Here is one such instance which we would like to let you know about. The link to the article is at:
The Indian Resource Centre here.

You will see that they have published a Table of Health Effects of Toxic Chemicals in Landfill Leachates, and a part of it is provided below. (We have not included the whole table for reasons of copyright. )

Health Effects of Toxic Chemicals in Landfill Leachates:
Arsenic
Cancer causing; cardiovascular, peripheral nervous system, reproductive and lung/respiratory effects; liver and skin damage
Cadmium
Probable carcinogen and teratogen; toxic to embryos; effects on Central Nervous System (CNS), reproductive and lung/respiratory systems; kidney damage
Chromium
Carcinogenic, probable mutagen, lung/respiratory effects, allergic sensitization, eye irritation
Lead
Probable teratogen, kidney and brain damage, CNS and reproductive effects, blood cell disorders; negatively affects intelligence, growth and development of children.

Scary isn't it?

The article and this list refers to Indian landfills, but these contaminants may on occasions be found in most municipal and commercial/industrial landfill leachates worldwide.

We think that the table, while no doubt correct, is likely to raise alarm as it does not also go on to say that even at the least well regulated landfills, these substances will only be present at extremely low concentrations. In regulated sites the highest conentrations found will be in parts per million (mg/l), and parts per 1000 miilion (ng/l) trillion.

Now I don't want to suggest that anyone should ignore the potential for leachate to cause major problems if it enters surface water, or groundwaters. As long as landfills are properly designed, the leachate is contained and properly managed (usually best treated on-site) and disposed of, the undoubted hazard that landfill leachate represents does not need to present a high risk to the environment.

So while we all need to note the list of health effects, let's not also forget that for the leachate hazard within a landfill to have a health effect there would need to be a mechanism of transport to the receptor (human or environmental). Fortunately, throughout the developed nations these days, it would be extremely rare to find a landfill without proper containment of leachate.

Cutting out the method of transport, which unfortunately may exist (or have existed in the past) , at the Indian site described is however, essential and has hopefully been achieved at this site as well, (if the article is correct in the first place to suggest that leachate escape was occuring), since this article was written in 2002.