Toxic Tort Legal Glossary: L

Land Ban: Phasing out of land disposal of most untreated hazardous wastes.

Land Disposal Restrictions: Rules that require hazardous wastes to be treated before disposal on land to destroy or immobilize hazardous constituents that might migrate into soil and ground water.

Landfill Gas: Gas that is produced when organic waste materials naturally decompose in a municipal solid waste landfill.  Landfill gas is approximately 50 percent methane, the primary component of natural gas, and 50 percent carbon dioxide.  Landfill gas can be collected and used as a fuel for heating or generating electricity.

Landfill: A method for final disposal of solid waste on land. The refuse is spread and compacted and a cover of soil applied so that effects on the environment (including public health and safety) are minimized. An industrial landfill disposes of non-hazardous industrial wastes. A municipal landfill disposes of domestic waste including garbage, paper, etc. This waste may include toxins that are used in the home, such as insect sprays and powders, engine oil, paints, solvents, and weed killers.

Latency Period: The period from initial exposure to a substance to the onset of the disease.

Leachate: Liquid that collects contaminants as it percolates through or drains from solid waste, pesticides or fertilizers.  Leachate often contains suspended or dissolved waste materials and may occur in farming areas, feedlots, and landfills.  Leaching may result in hazardous substances entering surface water, ground water, or soil if it is not controlled.

Lead (Pb): A heavy metal that is hazardous to health if breathed or swallowed. Its use in gasoline, paints, and plumbing compounds has been sharply restricted or eliminated by federal laws and regulations.

Level of Concern: The concentration in air of an extremely hazardous substance above which there may be serious immediate health effects to anyone exposed to it for short periods

Lifetime Exposure: Total amount of exposure to a substance that a human would receive in a lifetime (usually assumed to be 70 years).

Low-Level Radioactive Waste: Wastes less hazardous than most of those associated with nuclear reactor; generated by hospitals, research laboratories, and certain industries. The Department of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and EPA share responsibilities for managing them.