Introduction

Abstract

In an earlier era, terminating in the 1970’s in North America, uncontrolled industrial wastes were either deposited into or stored at a variety of land and water-based disposal sites. There was a general feeling, particularly in the Western world, that Nature could effectively treat or otherwise handle hazardous substances. Although there were several early indications, particularly from Japan, that this Naive Era of Waste Control was drawing to a close, the need for economic development apparently either blinded or distorted our view of what constituted a good life. Furthermore, Nature did perform quite well in treating some substances, which further contributed to our disregard for the hazards posed by wastes. One main consequence of such thinking was that comprehensive monitoring programs were either poorly supported or ineffective in detecting and preventing significant environmental disruptions. For example, the contamination of fish in the lower Great Lakes with mercury and PCB’s came as a surprise to many people, including regulatory agencies which eventually pressed for compensation for local fisherman.