Hazardous wastes are ubiquitous in the global environment and have been for quite some time. This was readily evident even at the turn of the twentieth century, when the International Joint Commission (IJC) was established in 1918 by the United States and Canada to remediate grave pollution issues in the boundary waters of the two countries. Despite much effort and success in the intervening decades, serious concerns remain to this day. This is but one example of a public health challenge that appears in many forms around the globe. In this review, the global scope of the human health concerns posed by hazardous waste is presented. These perspectives are based on insights derived from the world's peer-reviewed literature in the broad areas of exposure, toxicology, epidemiology, public health practice, and implementation of regulatory frameworks.