What is a Hazardous Waste

A waste is hazardous if it has any or a combination of the following characteristics:

a) It has been found to be toxic to human and animals and as such has been designated Acute Hazardous Waste.This includes substances found to have an oral LD50 (rat) of less than 50 milligrams/kilogram, an inhalation LC50 (rat) of less than 2 milligrams/liter or a dermal LD50 toxicity of less than 200 milligrams/kilogram or is otherwise capable of causing or contributing to serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness.

b) It contains a constituent listed at 40.CFR261.35 Appendix VIII or sources listed at 40CFR261.31 to 261.35, which has been shown in scientific, studies to have toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic or teratogenic effects on humans or other life forms.These wastes have been assigned an EPA Hazardous Waste Number, which must be included in all recordkeeping and reporting documentation.

c) It has any of the following characteristics:

- Ignitability: It is a liquid with more than 24% alcohol by volume, flash point less than 140°F.It is not liquefied and is capable under standard temperature and pressure, of causing fire through friction, absorption of moisture or spontaneous chemical change and when ignited, burns so vigorously that creates a hazard.It is an ignitable compressed gas.It is an oxidizer as defined in 49 CFR 173.151.These wastes have been assigned an EPA Hazardous Waste Number D001.

- Corrosivity: It is aqueous and has a pH less than or equal to 2 or greater than or equal to 12.5.It is a liquid and corrodes steel at a rate greater than 0.25 inches per year at 130°F. These wastes have been assigned an EPA Hazardous Waste Number D002.

- Reactivity: It is normally unstable and undergoes violent change without detonating.It reacts violently with water.It forms explosive mixtures with water.When mixed with water generates toxic gases, vapors or fumes.It is a cyanide or sulfide bearing waste which, when exposed to pH conditions between 2 and 12.5, can generate toxic gases, vapors or fumes.It is capable of detonation or explosive reaction if subjected to a strong initiating source or heated under confinement.It is capable of detonation or explosive reaction at standard temperature and pressure.It is a forebidded explosive as defined in 49 CFR 173.51 or a Class A explosive as defined in 49 CFR 173.53 or a Class B explosive as defined in 49 CFR 173.88. These wastes have been assigned an EPA Hazardous Waste Number D003.

- Toxicity: A waste exhibits the characteristic of toxicity if the extract from a representative sample of the waste contains any contaminants listed in Table I of 40CFR261.24 at a concentration equal or greater than the respective value in those tables. An EPA Hazardous Waste Number is specifically assigned to each listed waste.