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- Go to Your Local Landfill: A Repository for Serious Biohazards?
Whose head is it anyway?
In Arizona, it is illegal to dispose of deceased human beings or their body parts in a landfill due to obvious health reasons. One can be fined for improper disposal of human waste for doing such things.
HOWEVER, there is a catch.
And it is a big one.
If, say, a torso, a head or perhaps a hand appear in a landfill and it is determined that they once belonged to a cadaver, then it is perfectly LEGAL to dump those remains as you please. You see, they are no longer human remains, but simply waste.
Yes, this is amazing, but true. Two heads, same landfill, different origins and one could cause one legal headaches (excuse the pun) and the other, well, barely even give the disposer a crick in his or her neck.
I learned this while editing a news story about just such a situation in the West Phoenix area.
Yeah, isn't it lovely?
posted by
Editor_Writer
on October 11, 2003 at 1:17 PM
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Interesting,
scary and kind of icky subject, but one I wish more attention would be paid to. In my town, many people have noticed neighborhood cases of cancers higher, or seemingly so, in areas immediately surrounding the local landfill, and landfills that have been closed or shut down for a long time. Of course officials and politicians don't want to hear about it. And then there's all the lovely little muted warnings about what's in the water. Like anti-biotic residues from people flushing prescription meds. down the toilet. That could be another blog idea maybe. Good post!
posted by
Katray2
on October 9, 2003 at 10:45 PM
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Pathogens don't last long without a host, and are acted upon by resident flora.
Not to mention the chemicals leaching through the landfill!
The local health dept used to bag, autoclave, overbag and toss their biohazardous waste, until someone saw a dog at the dump toting some recognizable human remains.
The dangerous area is the trashcans lining the curbs awaiting pickup.
posted by
majroj
on October 9, 2003 at 10:00 PM
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Whatever the Solution
I can only imagine the average household's trash bill will triple in cost.
posted by
Whim
on October 9, 2003 at 2:01 PM
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