Hazardous waste analytical procedures

A sohd waste is considered hazardous if it is either a Hsted waste or a characteristic waste. Listed wastes include a Hst of specific processes that generate a waste and a Hst of discarded commercial chemical products. There are four hazardous waste characteristics ignitabiHty, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity. The last refers to the leachabiHty of a waste and the resultant toxicity in the groundwater using the analytical method referred to as toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP). A Hst of substances included under TCLP is shown in Table 1. 

RCRA was passed to manage nonhazardous and hazardous wastes and underground storage tanks, with an emphasis placed on the recovery of reusable materials as an alternative to their disposal. This act introduced the concept of the separate management of hazardous and nonhazardous wastes, and defined procedures to identify whether a waste is hazardous or nonhazardous. A waste exhibits the characteristic of toxicity, classified as a hazardous material, if the concentration of any of 39 selected analytes in the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) extract exceed regulatory action levels. 

Nitrosamines are toxic compounds as well as potent animal and human carcinogens (Patnaik, 1992). These substances occur in trace quantities in tobacco smoke, meat products, and salted fish. Some of these compounds are classified by U.S. EPA as priority pollutants in industrial wastewaters, potable waters, and hazardous wastes. These nitrosamines are listed in Table 2.16.1. Such pollutants occurring in environmental samples can be determined by U.S. EPA s analytical procedures (U.S. EPA 1990, 1992). 

Karam HS, Marti EA.Tondeur Y, Hass JR (1991), Proc. Annu. Meet. - Air Waste Manage. Assoc. 84 (91-58.3) 1-13.. .Recent advances in analytical procedures for source hazardous air pollutants"... 

By modifying analytical procedures and relying on modern RC based data management and communications technology, we have succeeded in providing timely analytical data to support hazardous waste... 

Xylenes in drinking water, wastewaters, soils, and hazardous wastes may be analyzed by EPA analytical procedures (Methods 501, 602, 524, 624, 1624, 8020, and 8240) (U.S. EPA 1992 1997). These methods involve concentration of the analytes by purging and trapping over suitable adsorbent columns before their GC or GC/MS analyses. The primary characteristic ion for GC/MS identification (by electron-impact ionization) is 106, which characterizes ethylbenzene as well. Photoionization and flame ionization detectors are, in general, suitable for ppb- andppm-level GC analysis, respectively. Air analysis may be done by NIOSH Method 1501 (see Section 26.2). 

There is no doubt that over the past 20 years, the chemistry community, and in particular, the chemical industry, has made extensive efforts to reduce the risk associated with the manufacture and use of various chemicals. There have been innovative chemistries developed to treat chemical wastes and remediate hazardous waste sites. New monitoring and analytical tools have been developed for detecting contamination in air, water and soils. New handling procedures and containment technologies have been developed to minimize exposure. While these areas are laudable efforts in the reduction of risk, they are not pollution prevention or Green... 

Laboratoiy procedures may need to be evaluated against the sampling techniques and materials involved in the toll. There may be new laboratoiy chemicals and hazards to be considered. This work may have been identified in the evaluation of special analytical techniques required for the process. A good practice is to ensure that the lab technicians have the necessaiy guidance and types of equipment on hand to monitor the process and waste streams accurately and safely. 

Identification of wastes analytical control procedures labelling of containers Segregation of wastes identification of hazards due to inadvertent mixing of wastes... 

Stricter environmental control and effective process monitoring have created considerable demands for innovative analytical methodologies. For meeting the requirements of green analytical chemistry, new devices and procedures with negligible waste generation or no hazardous substances, and in situ real-time monitoring capability, are needed. 

Development of Hazardous/Toxic Waste Analytical Screening Procedures", Report No. ADA-129683, (1982). 

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