Hazardous wastes and their effects on our environment are rapidly becoming a point of major concern to people all over the world. The “Love Canal” tragedy has brought to light the problem of buried industrial wastes and has become the rallying cry of citizen action groups concerned with a clean environment around the country. Since this issue is current and we live in a highly industrialized area, I felt a unit dealing with hazardous wastes would be an interesting one to study. My unit is designed for middle school children (grades 5-8) and covers the topics of how hazardous wastes are produced, how we are disposing of them now, what is proposed for the future, and what input into the problem government, industry and citizen groups have had. Activities have been included that graphically illustrate the major points of the unit.
(Recommended for 5th-8th grade Science.)
Key Words
Ecology Environmental Science Hazardous Waste Pollution
