Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Other.nanoscale.materials.would.appear.to.include.toxic.constituents.that,.upon.dis-
posal,.would.likely.render.the.materials.characteristically.toxic.and.thus.subject.to.
RCRA.upon.disposal.
As.noted,.OSWER.has.not.yet.provided.any.guidance.on.these.issues..Similarly,.
OSWER.has.not.commented.on.whether.the.application.of.conventional.RCRA.test-
ing.procedures.as.set.forth.in.
Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/
Chemical Methods (SW-846)
.are.well.suited.to.nanoscale.materials..It.is.believed,.
however,. that. some. of. the. unique. qualities. of. nanoscale. materials. may. materially.
affect.the.results.of.RCRA.waste.testing.procedures.
4.5.4 m
ixture
and
d
erived
-F
rOm
r
ules
Under. RCRA's. rule,. if. a. listed. hazardous. waste. is. mixed. with. other. material,. the.
entire.mixture.assumes.the.status.of.the.listed.waste.
While.RCRA.requirements.
do.not.explicitly.apply.to.nanoscale.materials,.there.is.no.reason.to.believe.that.they.
do.not..Accordingly,.if.a.listed.hazardous.waste.is.processed.in.a.way.that.causes.it.
to.generate.a.sludge,.spill.residue,.ash.emission.control.dust,.leachate,.or.other.form.
of. solid. waste. [48],. then. under. the. “derived-from. rule,”. the. resulting. solid. waste.
assumes.the.same.listed.waste.code.as.the.original.listed.hazardous.waste.
If.a.characteristic.or.listed.hazardous.waste.is.spilled.into.soil.or.another.envi-
ronmental.medium,.under.the.“contained-in”.principle,.the.resulting.mixture.of.soil.
and.hazardous.waste.is.deemed.to.“contain”.the.hazardous.waste.until.it.has.been.
treated.to.a.point.where.the.soil.no.longer.contains.the.hazardous.waste.
.The.EPA.
has.not.issued.any.guidance.on.whether,.under.the.contained-in.principle,.the.pres-
ence. of. a. nanoscale. material. qualiied. as. a. listed. hazardous. waste. would. trigger.
application. of. the. contained-in. rule.. There. is. no. reason. to. believe. that. nanoscale.
versions.of.listed.hazardous.wastes,.mixtures.of.large.amounts.of.solid.wastes.may.
become. listed. hazardous. waste. because. they. contain. small. amounts. of. nanoscale.
listed.hazardous.waste.
The.EPA.included.several.exemptions.from.the.deinitions.of.both.“solid.waste”.
and.“hazardous.waste.”.These.exclusions.include,.among.others,.household.waste,.
certain.fertilizers.made.from.hazardous.wastes,.and.other.materials.listed.in.40.C.F.R..
§.261.4(a),.as.well.as.certain.agricultural.wastes.returned.to.the.soil.as.fertilizer..As.
. Quantum. nanodots. typically. often. contain. cadmium. or. selenium.. The. EPA. has. designated. wastes.
yielding.more.than.1.0.milligrams.per.liter.of.cadmium.or.selenium.through.a.TCLP.extraction.test.as.
characteristically.toxic.upon.disposal.(i.e.,.D006.or.D010.waste)..EPA.40.C.F.R..§.261.24(b).
.EPA.40.C.F.R..§.261.3(a)(2)(iv)..The.mixture.rule.includes.exemptions.for.(i).mixtures.that.include.
hazardous.wastes.listed.solely.as.ignitable,.corrosive,.or.reactive;.and.(ii).
de minimis
.amounts.of.listed.
hazardous.wastes.mixed.in.permitted.wastewater.treatment.systems..The.mixture.rule.also.applies.to.
mixtures.of.characteristic.hazardous.wastes,.but.only.if.the.resulting.mixture.still.displays.the.original.
hazardous.characteristic..EPA.40.C.F.R..§.261.3(a)(2)(i).
.While.the.EPA.has.not.promulgated.the.contained-in.principle.as.a.formal.regulation.for.contaminated.
media,. it. has. issued. several. guidances. to. outline. its. policy.. See,. e.g.,. 63. Fed.. Reg.. 28622. (May. 26,.
1998);.61.Fed..Reg..18795.(Apr..29,.1996)..The.U.S..Circuit.Court.of.Appeals.for.the.D.C..Circuit.has.
upheld. the. EPA's. application. of. the. contained-in. policy.. Chemical. Waste. Management. v.. EPA,. 869.
F.2d.1526.(D.C..Cir..1989)..The.EPA.has.also.codiied.the.contained-in.principle.in.its.rules.for.debris.
management.
