Outdoor & Yard / Products / Construction and Demolition Waste (Asbestos, Lead Paint, CCA Wood, Gypsum H2S, Respirable Crystalline Silica, Regulatory Gap)

Construction and Demolition Waste (Asbestos, Lead Paint, CCA Wood, Gypsum H2S, Respirable Crystalline Silica, Regulatory Gap) — outdoor safety profile

High risk

Not medical, veterinary, or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified professional — consult one. Full disclaimer →

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is the single largest waste stream in the United States at approximately 600 million tons per year — more than twice the total municipal solid waste generation (EPA 2018 estimate).

What is this product?

Construction and demolition (C&D) waste is the single largest waste stream in the United States at approximately 600 million tons per year — more than twice the total municipal solid waste generation (EPA 2018 estimate). C&D waste includes concrete, wood, drywall, metals, asphalt, brick, glass, and plastics from building construction, renovation, and demolition. Despite its massive volume, C&D waste receives significantly less regulatory oversight than MSW: C&D landfills in many states require no liner or leachate collection system, creating a pathway for contaminant migration to groundwater. The hazardous materials embedded in C&D waste present serious worker and environmental risks. Asbestos, present in pre-1980 buildings in insulation, floor tiles, roofing, and pipe wrap, requires NESHAP-regulated abatement before demolition — but inadequate survey and illegal demolition practices continue to release asbestos fibers, with EPA enforcement actions averaging 300+ per year. Lead-based paint in pre-1978 buildings (an estimated 37 million US housing units still contain lead paint per HUD) generates lead-contaminated dust and debris during renovation and demolition: OSHA's lead in construction standard (29 CFR 1926.62) sets a PEL of 50 ug/m3 but blood lead levels of 10-40 ug/dL are documented in demolition workers. Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) treated wood, used extensively in residential decks, playground equipment, and fence posts before the 2003 voluntary phase-out, contains arsenic at 2,500-6,700 ppm, chromium at 1,500-4,100 ppm, and copper at 1,200-3,800 ppm — burning CCA wood releases arsenic trioxide (As2O3), and landfilling CCA wood leaches arsenic and chromium into groundwater at concentrations exceeding MCLs. Gypsum drywall in wet, anaerobic landfill conditions generates hydrogen sulfide (CaSO4 + organic matter → CaS + CO2; CaS + H2O → H2S + Ca(OH)2), with H2S concentrations in C&D landfill gas reaching 100-1,000+ ppm — well above the IDLH of 50 ppm. Concrete crushing for aggregate recycling generates respirable crystalline silica (RCS) at worker breathing zone concentrations of 50-500 ug/m3, compared to the OSHA PEL of 50 ug/m3 — silicosis risk is well-documented in concrete recycling workers.

What's in it

Click any compound name for its full safety profile, regulatory consensus, and exposure data.

Building Material

Paint Contaminant

Wood Preservative

Concrete Dust

Drywall Decomposition

Frequently asked questions

What's in Construction and Demolition Waste (Asbestos, Lead Paint, CCA Wood, Gypsum H2S, Respirable Crystalline Silica, Regulatory Gap)?

This product type can contain: Crystalline silica (quartz), among others. Click any compound name above for the full safety profile.

Sources (17)

Citations carried on this product's ALETHEIA record. A bracketed number in the text links to its entry here.

  1. ALETHEIA Safety Database — expert_curation
  2. EPA NESHAP (Asbestos) + OSHA Lead in Construction + OSHA Silica Rule + EPA Subtitle D (Limited C&D Coverage) (40 CFR 61 Subpart M (NESHAP asbestos); 29 CFR 1926.62 (lead in construction); 29 CFR 1926.1153 (silica); 40 CFR 745 (RRP Rule); 40 CFR 258 (Subtitle D — MSW landfills, not directly C&D)) · USA — regulation
  3. IARC Monographs Volume 100C: Asbestos (Chrysotile, Amosite, Crocidolite, Tremolite, Actinolite, and Anthophyllite) (2012) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  4. US EPA: Asbestos — Integrated Risk Information System (1987) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  5. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 7758-95-4 — reference (inherited from a compound record)
  6. IARC Monographs Volume 100C: Arsenic and Arsenic Compounds (2012) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  7. US EPA IRIS Assessment: Arsenic, Inorganic (1998) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  8. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans — Chromium, Nickel and Welding (Volume 49) (1990) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  9. US EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) — Chromium(VI) (2008) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  10. ATSDR Toxicological Profile for Hydrogen Sulfide (2006) — report (inherited from a compound record)
  11. NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards: Hydrogen Sulfide (2019) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  12. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · USA — regulatory
  13. US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) · USA — regulatory
  14. Code of Federal Regulations — 29 CFR 1926.62 · USA — regulation
  15. IARC Monographs Volume 100C: Silica Dust, Crystalline, in the Form of Quartz or Cristobalite — Arsenic, Metals, Fibres, and Dusts (2012) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  16. OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1053: Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (2016) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)
  17. NIOSH Hazard Review: Health Effects of Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (2002) — regulatory (inherited from a compound record)

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Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →