[Industrial wastes and health hazards]

Uncontrolled industrial waste sites are potential sources of unplanned release of hazardous substances into the environment. According to the reports of the State Inspectorate for Environment Protection (PIOS), 60% of hazardous waste sites registered in Poland create potential or real threat to public health and the environment. hazardous substances migrating off the site can spread and affect the environmental media: ground water, surface water, air, soil, biota. They can also enter the human body. As a result of research studies aimed at identifying the hazard and assessing health effects posed by hazardous waste sites in the United States, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has identified seven groups of health effects most common among populations living in the vicinity of waste sites. These are: birth defects, cancer, immune function disorders, kidney and liver dysfunction, lung and respiratory diseases and neurotoxic disorders. However, the evidence based on exposure-effect relationship is not generally very strong. Most of the studies lack sufficiently accurate exposure assessment.