Abstract
The amount of waste has been greatly increased due to population growth and industry development,
which has an undeniable effect on human health and the environment. The way of handling the situation
becomes a major problem since inappropriate management is likely to have devastating effects on
public health and the environment. The present study reviews the side effects of wastes on the human
and determines the countries producing the largest amounts of waste. To do so, published papers on
the effects of waste on human were reviewed using the data available on the ISI-Web of Science. The
number of articles on the subject as on February 21, 2016 were 436. These papers were categorized into
four main classes based on the waste type (medical waste, municipal waste, electronic waste, and
industrial waste), and each category was separately analyzed. According to the results America, Jordan
and Kuwait have the highest amounts of medical waste production. Thus, their people have more
exposure to diseases such as respiratory problems, skin diseases, hepatitis A and B, cancer and so
forth. The highest municipal wastes are produced in countries such as Norway and Mexico. Their people
are exposed to diseases such as breath, respiratory and reproductive problems. The amount of
industrial waste production in Asia (countries such as China, Japan, South Korea, India and Australia) is
higher than other Asian countries. Recommendations for proper management according to the
conducted research were stated. Finally, gaps and suggestions in this area were identified and
mentioned. This research can help those who are interested in studying the effects of wastes.
Saeid Jafarzadeh-Ghoushchi, Shadi Dorosti. (2017) Effects of Exposure to a Variety of Waste on Human Health - A Review, Journal of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Volume-16, Issue-1.
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