Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
.
3.. Unused. Discarded. Commercial. Chemical. Products. (speciied. at. Section.
261.33,. and. including. acutely. hazardous. wastes. in. the. “P. list”. and. non-
acutely.hazardous.wastes.in.the.“U.list”)
Each. listing. is. accompanied. by. a. background. document,. which. describes. EPA's.
basis.for.listing.the.waste..These.background.documents.often.are.helpful.in.deter-
mining.the.applicability.of.a.listing..A.key.issue.that.waste.generators.must.confront.
is.whether.a.waste.listing.includes.a.nanoscale.version.that.may.be.fundamentally.
different.from.its.conventionally.sized.counterpart..The.EPA.has.not.yet.issued.guid-
ance.on.this.issue.
None.of.the.EPA's.hazardous.waste.listings.explicitly.includes.or.discusses.nanoscale.
materials..Certain.waste.listings.likely.will.include.nanoscale.materials.or.wastes.from.
certain.nanomaterials.manufacturing..For.example,.K-listed.wastes.include.discarded.
materials.from.organic.chemicals,.pesticides,.and.inorganic.chemicals..As.noted.above.
under.TSCA.and.FIFRA,.nanoscale.chemicals.and.pesticides.could.well.be.generated.
by.these.industries,.and.thus.the.K-listed.codes.presumably.could.include.these.nano-
materials..Again,.the.EPA.has.issued.no.guidance.on.these.issues.
4.5.3  C haraCteristiC  h aZardOus  w aste
Solid.wastes.that.are.not.listed.can.still.be.considered.hazardous.if.they.exhibit.one.or.
more.of.the.hazardous.waste.characteristics:.ignitability,.corrosivity,.reactivity,.or.toxic-
ity..The.irst.three.characteristics.refer.to.properties.of.the.waste.itself,.while.the.fourth.
evaluates.a.waste's.potential.to.release.certain.hazardous.constituents.when.disposed.
The. EPA. intended. the. Toxicity. Characteristic. (TC). to. relect. the. potential. for.
leaching. to. groundwater. that. results. from. the. co-disposal. of. toxic. wastes. in. an.
actively. decomposing. municipal. landill. generating. an. acidic. leachate.. The. EPA.
requires.the.application.of.an.extraction.test.—.the.Toxicity.Characteristic.Leach-
ing. Procedure. (TCLP). —. to. determine. if. a. waste. leaches. any. of. the. 39. speciied.
toxicants.above.regulatory.thresholds..Any.leachate.sample.created.using.the.TCLP.
that. contains. a. regulated. constituent. in. concentrations. at. or. exceeding. its. regula-
tory.threshold.exhibiting.the.toxicity.characteristic.is.considered.by.the.EPA.to.be.a.
hazardous.waste.
While.the.EPA's.Ofice.of.Solid.Waste.and.Emergency.Response.(OSWER).has.
yet. to. issue. any. regulatory. pronouncements. with. regard. to. nanoscale. waste,. there.
is.no.reason.to.believe.these.materials.would.be.treated.differently.than.any.other.
waste. materials. for. purpose. of. RCRA. waste. classiication.. It. is. likely. that. many.
nanoscale. materials. will. display. one. or. more. of. these. characteristics,. due. to. their.
inherent. composition,. and. thus. will. likely. constitute. characteristically. hazardous.
waste.under.RCRA.upon.disposal..An.often-cited.example.is.nanoscale.aluminum,.
which.is.combustible..If.disposed.without.treatment.to.eliminate.its.combustability,.
this.material.would.likely.qualify.as.a.characteristically.ignitable.hazardous.waste. .
.EPA.40.C.F.R..§.261.21(a)(2).(non-liquid.wastes.are.characteristically.ignitable.if.they.“are.capable,.
under.standard.temperature.and.pressure,.of.causing.ire.through.friction,.absorption.of.moisture.or.
spontaneous.chemical.changes.and,.when.ignited,.burns.so.vigorously.and.persistently.that.it.creates.
a.hazard”).
 
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