Problems caused by MSW The characteristics of municipal solid waste make these cause a series of problems that may be of varying severity depending on the situation, if not treated appropriately. Below are the most common effects that cause MSW: Air pollution: the air in the absence of fermentation of organic matter generates methane (a greenhouse gas twenty times more potent than carbon dioxide), where the gas which is half-gases produced in landfills and has primary responsibility for fires and explosions that occur in these places. Furthermore, when a fire in an enclosure designed to burn waste disposal and chlorinated compounds are emitted into the atmosphere highly polluting chemicals such as dioxins and hydrochloric acid.Other harmful gases from the atmosphere and urban waste are benzene, which is also potentially carcinogenic vinyl chloride or methyl chloride. soil contamination: the physical, chemical and biological soil are strongly altered when it is deposited on solid waste. attributed to a moderate soil contamination is the disappearance of flora and fauna of the affected region, disruption of biogeochemical cycles and the loss of essential nutrients for the existence of animal or plant life. When the municipal waste accumulate in an uncontrolled way, they run the risk of appearing a series of plagues, such as rodents. Pollution of surface water or groundwater: leachate, which are the liquid produced when water moves through a porous medium, haul toxic substances are generated in landfills.The most representative examples of these harmful products are vinyl chloride, methyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride and chlorobenzenes (because of its high toxicity stresses hexachlorobenzene), all of which are persistent and bioaccumulative substances in all links of the chain trophic. In the leachate also present heavy metals that have a high rate of toxic and therefore harmful to health.Below are some of these materials found in the leachate: – Lead (Pb): This chemical element comes from vehicle batteries and a wide variety of electronic devices (in recent years, lead-acid batteries have been replaced by lithium, especially in technological objects), as well as plastics, glass, ceramics and pigments. When the compound enters our bodies produce a series of abnormalities in the nervous system, which is manifest as cognitive loss and weakness in different parts of our body, especially in fingers, wrists and ankles. In addition, pregnant women are more likely to have abortions, and sperm production in men, you can see deeply eroded.