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Asked by jjnsarson to Anna, Chris, Jane, Iain, Nick on 11 Mar 2014.
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Iain Moal answered on 11 Mar 2014:
Well, toxic means harmful to living creatures, and waste is an unwanted byproduct, so toxic waste is anything harmful that is generated and has to be desposed of. It could come from a nuclear power station, or a chemical processing plant or refinery. Have you ever wondered why some drugs are so much more expensive than others? Well, part of the reason is that some drugs produce lots of toxic waste, and a lot of money has to be spent on processing it into something which is safe to dispose of and won’t harm the environment.
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Anna Middleton answered on 11 Mar 2014:
Anything can be toxic if the place it is in can’t cope with it. In the context of the human body, toxic waste could be a bad reaction to a medication. We all have genes that help us to process medications and these genes are slightly different in each person. So, one person might be able to handle a painkiller like paracetamol and others might have a toxic reaction to it.
Comments
jjnsarson commented on :
Thanks both of you. That makes everything so clear!