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| Photo credit: USEPA |
...The fellow on the right is Larkin Baggett, who is currently serving time in a federal prison for dumping hazardous waste. He owned a small business mixing chemicals for detergents in Utah, where he would dump hazardous waste on his property. In addition, he was pouring sulfuric, hydrofluoric and hydrochloric acid into the sanitary sewer.
After he was arrested for his unique chemical waste disposal techniques, Baggett went for a life on the lam in Florida (why do they all go to Florida?); he was found and injured in a shootout with federal agents.
Let's be honest -- hazardous waste is difficult to deal with and state and federal regulations don't make it any easier. That being said, it's the responsibility of chemists to do the right thing and make sure that stuff makes it into the right disposal drum and not into the environment. And it's worth remembering, the long arm of the law is there to encourage you too.
Great post! I work in the environmental disposal industry and it never ceases to amaze me how many people think they can get away with improper handling and disposal (it sickens me to think they don't even care enough about the environment). These people should be forced to work in remediation where they can see the long-term effects of their actions.
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