Editing Environmental law (section)

== Pollution control ==
=== Air quality ===
[[File:Alfred Palmer Smokestacks.jpg|thumb|Industrial air pollution now regulated by [[air quality law]]]]
{{excerpt|Air quality law|only=paragraph}}[[Air quality index|Air quality index (AQI)]] is used to identify contaminants present in the air that would result in affecting public health.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Yu |first1=Chunling |last2=Morotomi |first2=Toru |date=2022-03-15 |title=The effect of the revision and implementation for environmental protection law on ambient air quality in China |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S030147972200010X |journal=Journal of Environmental Management |volume=306 |pages=114437 |doi=10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.114437 |pmid=34998089 |bibcode=2022JEnvM.30614437Y |issn=0301-4797}}</ref> They test among contaminants and high levels of the major six pollutants, including [[nitrogen dioxide]], [[ozone]], [[carbon monoxide]], and [[sulfur dioxide]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Scotford |first=Eloise |date=2020-12-24 |title=Rethinking Clean Air: Air Quality Law and COVID-19 |url=https://academic.oup.com/jel/article/32/3/349/5989812 |journal=Journal of Environmental Law |volume=32 |issue=3 |pages=349–353 |doi=10.1093/jel/eqaa027 |issn=0952-8873 |pmc=7717344}}</ref> The impacts on air quality reflect on the safety behind what contaminants are safe enough to breathe in. The high levels of pollutants can vary based on seasonal changes and what is more likely to cause an issue with air quality at its peak.<ref name=":02" /> Exposure to dangerous pollutants can adverse health effects over time, and can be a potential threat to a decline in population over time.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Karimi |first1=Afsaneh |last2=Shirmardi |first2=Mohammad |last3=Hadei |first3=Mostafa |last4=Birgani |first4=Yaser Tahmasebi |last5=Neisi |first5=Abdolkazem |last6=Takdastan |first6=Afshin |last7=Goudarzi |first7=Gholamreza |date=2019-09-30 |title=Concentrations and health effects of short- and long-term exposure to PM2.5, NO2, and O3 in ambient air of Ahvaz city, Iran (2014–2017) |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0147651319305676 |journal=Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |volume=180 |pages=542–548 |doi=10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.05.026 |pmid=31128552 |issn=0147-6513}}</ref>

=== Water quality ===
[[File:Discharge pipe.jpg|thumb|alt=A typical stormwater outfall.|A typical stormwater outfall, subject to [[water quality law]]]]
{{excerpt|Water quality law|only=paragraph}}
=== Waste management ===
[[File:Landfill.jpg|thumb|alt=A landfill.|A municipal landfill, operated pursuant to [[waste management law]]]]
{{excerpt|Waste management law|only=paragraph}}Consuming less waste can heavily reduce the amount of energy used in products and help minimize consumption of goods over time.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Brož |first1=David |last2=Čábelková |first2=Inna |last3=Hlaváček |first3=Martin |last4=Smutka |first4=Luboš |last5=Procházka |first5=Petr |date=2023-06-27 |title=It starts from home? Explaining environmentally responsible resource and waste management |journal=Frontiers in Environmental Science |language=English |volume=11 |doi=10.3389/fenvs.2023.1136171 |doi-access=free |issn=2296-665X}}</ref> Waste separation could potentially lead to having additional resources and filter out waste during that process. Ways to reduce the amount of waste include [[Sustainable products|green purchasing]] and reducing disposable products that contribute to [[climate change]].<ref name=":1" /> Wealth has led to increase in environmental risks with waste produced including corporations, thus limiting the amount of regulation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Knol-Kauffman |first1=Maaike |last2=Solås |first2=Ann-Magnhild |last3=Arbo |first3=Peter |date=2021-03-21 |title=Government-industry dynamics in the development of offshore waste management in Norway: from prescriptive to risk-based regulation |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09640568.2020.1779676 |journal=Journal of Environmental Planning and Management |volume=64 |issue=4 |pages=649–670 |doi=10.1080/09640568.2020.1779676 |bibcode=2021JEPM...64..649K |issn=0964-0568|hdl=10037/19022 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

=== Contaminant cleanup ===
[[File:Rena oil spill cleanup.jpg|thumb|alt=Oil spill cleanup.|Oil spill emergency response, governed by [[environmental cleanup law]]]]
{{excerpt|Environmental cleanup law|only=paragraph}}Sewage treatments are used for filtering out any contaminants that are present to ensure water quality remains clean and safe to consume.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last1=Saxena |first1=Priyam |last2=Hiwrale |first2=Isha |last3=Das |first3=Sanchita |last4=Shukla |first4=Varun |last5=Tyagi |first5=Lakshay |last6=Pal |first6=Sukdeb |last7=Dafale |first7=Nishant |last8=Dhodapkar |first8=Rita |date=2021-04-15 |title=Profiling of emerging contaminants and antibiotic resistance in sewage treatment plants: An Indian perspective |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0304389420328685 |journal=Journal of Hazardous Materials |volume=408 |pages=124877 |doi=10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.124877 |pmid=33383454 |bibcode=2021JHzM..40824877S |issn=0304-3894}}</ref> If left untreated for long period of time, antibiotic resistance may occur and will eventually cause health problems as the treatment plants won't get filtered easily.<ref name=":22" /> Government officials would need to test often to check the filtering system for efficiency. Wastewater and river ecosystems can effectively remove heavy metals such as [[lead]] and [[cadmium]] by using [[Sea cucumber|sea cucumbers]], [[algae]], and decayed plants to reduce the amount of heavy toxins that may be in water.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wei |first1=Zihan |last2=Van Le |first2=Quyet |last3=Peng |first3=Wanxi |last4=Yang |first4=Yafeng |last5=Yang |first5=Han |last6=Gu |first6=Haiping |last7=Lam |first7=Su Shiung |last8=Sonne |first8=Christian |date=2021-02-05 |title=A review on phytoremediation of contaminants in air, water and soil |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0304389420316447 |journal=Journal of Hazardous Materials |volume=403 |pages=123658 |doi=10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123658 |pmid=33264867 |bibcode=2021JHzM..40323658W |issn=0304-3894}}</ref>

=== Chemical safety ===
Chemical safety laws govern the use of [[chemical]]s in human activities, particularly human-made chemicals in modern industrial applications. As contrasted with media-oriented environmental laws (e.g., air or water quality laws), chemical control laws seek to manage the (potential) pollutants themselves. Regulatory efforts include banning specific chemical constituents in consumer products (e.g., [[Bisphenol A]] in plastic bottles), and regulating [[pesticides]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Environmental Law - an overview {{!}} ScienceDirect Topics |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/environmental-law |access-date=2023-06-29 |website=www.sciencedirect.com}}</ref>

Safety regulations including the [[Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976|Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)]] determine the chemicals that are considered harmful from the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)]], but end up placing restrictions to several chemicals per year as opposed to finding many other chemicals that would be considered harmful if exposed.<ref name=":33">{{Cite journal |last=Vogel |first=David |date=2022 |title=The Politics of preemption: American federalism and risk regulation |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/rego.12414 |journal=Regulation & Governance |language=en |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=1160–1173 |doi=10.1111/rego.12414 |issn=1748-5991}}</ref> According to the EPA, only 200 out of the 84,000 chemicals used in 2013 were used for testing purposes, raising concerns on whether TSCA would be up to date in their database.<ref name=":33" /> Chemicals would need to be tested for [[toxicity]], instability, and [[Combustibility and flammability|flammability]] when coming into contact with other chemicals.<ref name=":43">{{Cite journal |last1=Sultana |first1=Sharmin |last2=Haugen |first2=Stein |date=2022-01-05 |title=Development of an inherent system safety index (ISSI) for ranking of chemical processes at the concept development stage |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0304389421015557 |journal=Journal of Hazardous Materials |volume=421 |pages=126590 |doi=10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.126590 |pmid=34332477 |bibcode=2022JHzM..42126590S |issn=0304-3894|hdl=11250/2982018 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> It is essential to identify and analyze the different types of chemicals for its potential risks or it could have dangerous outcomes.<ref name=":43" />