Pbchw.com.ph
Title
Pacific Basin Consortium
Description
Rapid industrialization throughout the Asia Pacific region is being accompanied by increases in the manufacture, transport, and consumption of a variety of chemical compounds. Although highly useful, these chemicals often pose risks to human health and ecosystems because of their hazardous characteristics (toxicity, flammability, corrosivity, and reactivity). At any stage from manufacture to final disposal, hazardous chemicals may escape containment, enter the biosphere, and become hazardous waste.
The scientific and technological basis for managing hazardous waste is growing, but both the cost and the effectiveness of available methods for waste minimization, recovery, treatment, disposal, and cleanup are not satisfactory at this time. Implementation of research findings must be accelerated, and technology development timetables must be shortened.
The Pacific Basin presents special opportunities for technical collaboration. First, it is the most rapidly developing region in the world. Second, limited land areas, vulnerable coastal ecosystems, and unique tropical climatic conditions exacerbate the problems of hazardous waste treatment and disposal. Research cooperation is being fostered by growing intraregional trade, new means of technical exchange, and maturation of research institutions.
