What laws are designed to clean up toxic waste sites?

Answer 1

Laws that were designed to clean up toxic waste sites include the Resource Conservation and Recovery Acts (RCRA) of 1976 and 1980 and the Superfund Act of 1984 with revisions in 1986 and 1990. These laws also were intended to handle emergencies resulting from spills of dangerous chemicals. Although the laws have resulted in the cleanup of some sites, many more remain -- and the effects of the spills are long lasting. Regardless of whether the contamination was deliberate or accidental, the effects are frequently unpredictable in the long-term both to the environment and to human health. The billions of dollars spent so far have not been sufficient to correct all of the damage.