The Difference between Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Material - Research Paper Example

On the other hand, an environmental hazard is a state of events with the potential to threaten its surrounding natural substances and hence adversely affect the health of people in that particular environment. Therefore, hazards are categorized into five types depending on their cause as follows; psychosocial hazards, mechanical, physical, biological and chemical hazards. Notably, a hazard is not the same as a risk. While a hazard is a source of potential damage, harm or adverse health effects, a risk is the combination of a probability that an event or incident may bring negative results.

A hazardous waste is any waste substance that is dangerous and or is potentially harmful to the health of human beings and the environment. Such wastes can be liquids, solids, sludge or even gasses. Hazardous wastes may be in the form of the disposed commercial products, cleaning fluids or the by-products of any manufacturing processes. The different types of hazardous wastes are categorized into listed wastes, characteristic wastes, universal wastes and mixed wastes. It follows that specific procedures determine the ways in which wastes are identified, classified, listed, and also delisted.

On the other hand, a hazardous material is any dangerous good in the form of a solid, liquid or gas with the potential to harm people, other living things, cause damage to property as well as cause damage to the environment. Such dangerous goods could be a biohazard, flammable substances, and allergens or constitute elements that render them hazardous at particular circumstances and instances. However, there is a relationship between hazardous wastes and hazardous material (LaGrega, Buckingham & Evans, 2010).

It is through the use or getting in contact with hazardous materials that hazardous wastes are produced. Without hazardous materials, there would be no hazardous wastes. For instance, pesticides are used to control pests at homes or in