Complete 10 pages APA formatted article: The Definition of Environmental Crime. Toxic wastes could be released by industries, companies, agriculture, and military or by medical facilities. In addition to causing severe environmental damage, it also affects the basic right of human beings to a healthy environment (Ajunwa, 2007). Illegal dumping of toxic wastes, which are generated in developed countries such as Europe and America, into third world countries such as Africa, South-east Asia, India and China has become a routine in the recent past. This is mainly due to the huge quantities of toxic wastes such as electronic and petrochemical wastes, asbestos and wastes from refineries and shipping industries that are being generated. Such illegal dumping has had an enormous impact on the health of people living in developing nations especially in countries such as Africa. Reports suggest that there is an increase in the number of deaths and diseases caused by such illegal dumping of toxic wastes. Following increased dumping of waste products in the developing world, the Basel convention laid down regulations to control the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes which prevented the export of toxic wastes from the developed nation to the developing world. However, a subsequent inspection of ports in the European nations revelled that nearly 47% of wastes that were destined for illegal export a recent incident being the dumping of about 550 tones of toxic wastes in the Abidjan port by the firm Trafigura Beheer BV. This situation calls for stricter policies which are required in order to prevent the use of developing nations as a dumping ground (Godoy, 2010).
Hazardous wastes include solids, liquids or gases that may cause harm to both humans and the environment. Increased production of such wastes by certain multinational companies initiated the export of such wastes to countries such as Africa. This led to serious environmental damage by affecting the water and air quality that killed many children and adults. .
