Document ID: EPA-HQ-RCRA-2002-0025-0024
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2002-11-06T05:00Z

SEVEN
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1
Revision
4
August
2002
CHAPTER
SEVEN
CHARACTERISTICS
INTRODUCTION
AND
REGULATORY
DEFINITIONS
This
chapter
addresses
procedures
for
required
"
method­
defined
parameters,"
where
the
analytical
result
is
wholly
dependant
on
the
process
used
to
make
the
measurement.
Examples
include
the
use
of
the
toxicity
characteristic
leaching
procedure
(
TCLP)
to
prepare
a
leachate,
and
the
flash
point,
pH,
paint
filter
liquids,
and
corrosivity
tests.
In
these
instances,
changes
to
the
specific
methods
may
change
the
end
result
and
incorrectly
identify
a
waste
as
nonhazardous.
Therefore,
when
the
measurement
of
such
method­
defined
parameters
is
required
by
regulation,
those
methods
are
not
subject
to
the
flexibility
afforded
in
other
SW­
846
methods
(
such
as
described
in
the
Disclaimer
and
Chapter
Two
of
this
manual).

7.1
IGNITABILITY
7.1.1
Introduction
This
section
discusses
the
hazardous
characteristic
of
ignitability.
The
regulatory
background
of
this
characteristic
is
summarized,
and
the
regulatory
definition
of
ignitability
is
presented.
The
two
testing
methods
associated
with
this
characteristic,
Methods
1010
and
1020,
can
be
found
in
Chapter
Eight.

The
objective
of
the
ignitability
characteristic
is
to
identify
wastes
that
either
present
fire
hazards
under
routine
storage,
disposal,
and
transportation
or
are
capable
of
severely
exacerbating
a
fire
once
started.

7.1.2
Regulatory
Definition
See
40
CFR
261.21
for
the
regulatory
definition
of
the
hazardous
waste
characteristic
of
ignitability.

7.2
CORROSIVITY
7.2.1
Introduction
The
corrosivity
characteristic,
as
defined
in
40
CFR
261.22,
is
designed
to
identify
wastes
that
might
pose
a
hazard
to
human
health
or
the
environment
due
to
their
ability
to:

1.
Mobilize
toxic
metals
if
discharged
into
a
landfill
environment;

2.
Corrode
handling,
storage,
transportation,
and
management
equipment;
or
3.
Destroy
human
or
animal
tissue
in
the
event
of
inadvertent
contact.

In
order
to
identify
such
potentially
hazardous
materials,
EPA
has
selected
two
properties
upon
which
to
base
the
definition
of
a
corrosive
waste.
These
properties
are
pH
and
corrosivity
toward
Type
SAE
1020
steel.
SEVEN
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August
2002
The
procedures
for
measuring
pH
of
aqueous
wastes
are
detailed
in
Method
9040,
Chapter
Six.
Method
1110,
Chapter
Eight,
describes
how
to
determine
whether
a
waste
is
corrosive
to
steel.
Use
Method
9095,
Paint
Filter
Liquids
Test,
Chapter
Six,
to
determine
free
liquid.

7.2.2
Regulatory
Definition
See
40
CFR
261.22
for
the
regulatory
definition
of
the
hazardous
waste
characteristic
of
corrosivity.

7.3
REACTIVITY
7.3.1
Introduction
The
regulation
in
40
CFR
261.23
defines
reactive
wastes
to
include
wastes
that
have
any
of
the
following
properties:
(
1)
readily
undergo
violent
chemical
change;
(
2)
react
violently
or
form
potentially
explosive
mixtures
with
water;
(
3)
generate
toxic
fumes
when
mixed
with
water
or,
in
the
case
of
cyanide­
or
sulfide­
bearing
wastes,
when
exposed
to
mild
acidic
or
basic
conditions;
(
4)
explode
when
subjected
to
a
strong
initiating
force;
(
5)
explode
at
normal
temperatures
and
pressures;
or
(
6)
fit
within
the
Department
of
Transportation's
forbidden
explosives,
Class
A
explosives,
or
Class
B
explosives
classifications.

This
definition
is
intended
to
identify
wastes
that,
because
of
their
extreme
instability
and
tendency
to
react
violently
or
explode,
pose
a
problem
at
all
stages
of
the
waste
management
process.
The
Agency
relies
entirely
on
a
descriptive,
prose
definition
of
reactivity
because
available
tests
for
measuring
the
variegated
class
of
effects
embraced
by
the
reactivity
definition
suffer
from
a
number
of
deficiencies.

7.3.2
Regulatory
Definition
See
40
CFR
261.24
for
the
regulatory
definition
of
the
hazardous
waste
characteristic
of
reactivity.

7.4
TOXICITY
CHARACTERISTIC
LEACHING
PROCEDURE
7.4.1
Introduction
The
Toxicity
Characteristic
Leaching
Procedure
(
TCLP)
is
designed
to
simulate
the
leaching
a
waste
will
undergo
if
disposed
of
in
a
sanitary
landfill.
This
test
is
designed
to
simulate
leaching
that
takes
place
in
a
sanitary
landfill
only.
The
extraction
fluid
employed
is
a
function
of
the
alkalinity
of
the
solid
phase
of
the
waste.
A
subsample
of
a
waste
is
extracted
with
the
appropriate
buffered
acetic
acid
solution
for
18
+
2
hours.
The
extract
obtained
from
the
TCLP
(
the
"
TCLP
extract")
is
then
analyzed
to
determine
if
any
of
the
thresholds
established
for
the
40
Toxicity
Characteristic
(
TC)
constituents
(
listed
in
Table
7­
1)
have
been
exceeded
or
if
the
treatment
standards
established
for
the
constituents
listed
in
40
CFR
268.40
have
been
met
under
the
Land
Disposal
Restrictions
(
LDR)
regulations.
If
the
TCLP
extract
contains
any
one
of
the
TC
constituents
in
an
amount
equal
to
or
exceeding
the
concentrations
specified
in
40
CFR
261.24,
the
waste
possesses
the
characteristic
of
toxicity
and
is
a
hazardous
waste.
If
the
TCLP
extract
contains
constituents
in
an
SEVEN
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Revision
4
August
2002
amount
exceeding
the
concentrations
specified
in
40
CFR
268.40,
the
treatment
standard
for
that
waste
has
not
been
met,
and
further
treatment
is
necessary
prior
to
land
disposal.

7.4.2
Summary
of
Procedure
The
TCLP
consists
of
five
steps
(
refer
to
Figure
3):

1.
Separation
Procedure
For
liquid
wastes
(
i.
e.,
those
containing
less
than
0.5%
dry
solid
material),
the
waste,
after
filtration
through
a
0.6
to
0.8
µ
m
glass
fiber
filter,
is
defined
as
the
TCLP
extract.

For
wastes
containing
greater
than
or
equal
to
0.5%
solids,
the
liquid,
if
any,
is
separated
from
the
solid
phase
and
stored
for
later
analysis.

2.
Particle
Size
Reduction
Prior
to
extraction,
the
solid
material
must
pass
through
a
9.5­
mm
(
0.375­
in.)
standard
sieve,
have
a
surface
area
per
gram
of
material
equal
to
or
greater
than
3.1
cm2,
or,
be
smaller
than
1
cm
in
its
narrowest
dimension.
If
the
surface
area
is
smaller
or
the
particle
size
larger
than
described
above,
the
solid
portion
of
the
waste
is
prepared
for
extraction
by
crushing,
cutting,
or
grinding
the
waste
to
the
surface
area
or
particle
size
described
above.
(
Special
precautions
must
be
taken
if
the
solids
are
prepared
for
organic
volatiles
extraction.)

3.
Extraction
of
Solid
Material
The
solid
material
from
Step
2
is
extracted
for
18
+
2
hours
with
an
amount
of
extraction
fluid
equal
to
20
times
the
weight
of
the
solid
phase.
The
extraction
fluid
employed
is
a
function
of
the
alkalinity
of
the
solid
phase
of
the
waste.
A
special
extractor
vessel
is
used
when
testing
for
volatile
analytes.

4.
Final
Separation
of
the
Extraction
from
the
Remaining
Solid
Following
extraction,
the
liquid
extract
is
separated
from
the
solid
phase
by
filtration
through
a
0.6
to
0.8
µ
m
glass
fiber
filter.
If
compatible,
the
initial
liquid
phase
of
the
waste
is
added
to
the
liquid
extract,
and
these
are
analyzed
together.
If
incompatible,
the
liquids
are
analyzed
separately
and
the
results
are
mathematically
combined
to
yield
a
volume­
weighted
average
concentration.

5.
Testing
(
Analysis)
of
TCLP
Extract
Inorganic
and
organic
species
are
identified
and
quantified
using
appropriate
methods
in
the
6000,
7000,
and
8000
series
of
methods
in
this
manual
or
by
other
appropriate
methods.

7.4.3
Regulatory
Definition
Under
the
Toxicity
Characteristic,
a
solid
waste
exhibits
the
characteristic
of
toxicity
if
the
TCLP
extract
from
a
subsample
of
the
waste
contains
any
of
the
contaminants
listed
in
Table
7­
1
at
a
concentration
greater
than
or
equal
to
the
respective
value
given
in
that
table.
If
a
waste
contains
<
0.5%
filterable
solids,
the
waste
itself,
after
filtering,
is
considered
to
be
the
extract
for
the
purposes
of
analysis.
SEVEN
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4
August
2002
Under
the
Land
Disposal
Restrictions
regulations,
a
restricted
waste
identified
in
40
CFR
268.40
cannot
be
land
disposed
if
a
TCLP
extract
of
the
waste
or
a
TCLP
extract
of
the
treatment
residue
of
the
waste
does
exceeds
the
values
shown
in
the
table
of
40
CFR
268.40
for
any
hazardous
constituent
listed
in
the
table
for
that
waste.
If
a
waste
contains
<
0.5%
filterable
solids,
the
waste
itself,
after
filtering,
is
considered
to
be
the
extract
for
the
purposes
of
analysis.
SEVEN
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August
2002
TABLE
7­
1.
MAXIMUM
CONCENTRATION
OF
CONTAMINANTS
FOR
TOXICITY
CHARACTERISTIC
Regulatory
Level
Contaminant
(
mg/
L)

Arsenic
5.0
Barium
100.0
Benzene
0.5
Cadmium
1.0
Carbon
tetrachloride
0.5
Chlordane
0.03
Chlorobenzene
100.0
Chloroform
6.0
Chromium
5.0
o­
Cresol
200.01
m­
Cresol
200.01
p­
Cresol
200.01
Cresol
200.01
2,4­
D
10.0
1,4­
Dichlorobenzene
7.5
1,2­
Dichloroethane
0.5
1,1­
Dichloroethylene
0.7
2,4­
Dinitrotoluene
0.132
Endrin
0.02
Heptachlor
(
and
its
hydroxide)
0.008
Hexachlorobenzene
0.132
Hexachloro­
1,3­
butadiene
0.5
Hexachloroethane
3.0
Lead
5.0
Lindane
0.4
Mercury
0.2
Methoxychlor
10.0
Methyl
ethyl
ketone
200.0
Nitrobenzene
2.0
Pentachlorophenol
100.0
Pyridine
5.02
Selenium
1.0
Silver
5.0
Tetrachloroethylene
0.7
Toxaphene
0.5
Trichloroethylene
0.5
2,4,5­
Trichlorophenol
400.0
2,4,6­
Trichlorophenol
2.0
2,4,5­
TP
(
Silvex)
1.0
Vinyl
chloride
0.2
1If
o­,
m­,
and
p­
cresol
concentrations
cannot
be
differentiated,
the
total
cresol
(
D026)
concentration
is
used.
The
regulatory
level
of
total
cresol
is
200
mg/
L.
2Quantitation
limit
is
greater
than
the
calculated
regulatory
level.
The
quantitation
limit
therefore
becomes
the
regulatory
level.
SEVEN
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Revision
4
August
2002
FIGURE
3.

TOXICITY
CHARACTERISTIC
LEACHING
PROCEDURE
FLOWCHART
SEVEN
­
7
Revision
4
August
2002
FIGURE
3
(
continued)