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EPA Regulated Chemical Wastes

What is Hazardous Waste?

Hazardous material is “any substance or mixture of substances having properties capable of producing adverse effects on the health and safety or the environment of a human being.” - UNO Chemical Safety Manual

Who Monitors it?

At UNO, only Environmental Health and Safety makes Hazardous Waste determinations. We provide monitoring and information to help ensure environmental compliance and to help with evaluation of future experiments. EHS regulates hazardous wastes according to EPA standards.

How is it classified?

A hazardous substance is broken down and classified by its characteristics.
There are four classes of characteristics:

• Ignitibility
• Corrosivity
• Reactivity
• Toxicity

Which are then further classifed by numbers, which denote the risk of each hazard. The scales is from 0-4. "0" means there is no risk, while "4" signifies the material is extremely hazardous.

The EPA has four different standard lists available that are used to help determine which chemical wastes are EPA regulated and which are not.

Lists and Characteristics

All wastes (unless specifically excepted) are subject to classification according to their characteristics. Characteristics wastes are assigned a D-series hazardous waste number. The General Characteristics of Ignitibility (D001), Corrosivity (D002) and Reactivity (D003) are summarized in the link below (see 40 CFR Part 261 Subpart C for full definition):

General Characteristics

Additionally, wastes exhibit the characteristic of Toxicity if, using the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP), the waste contains contaminants in excess of the limits listed in the table commony known as the D-List.

When UNUSED chemicals are evaluated, in addition to the Characteristics, two different lists are used to determine if they are "listed wastes." These are defined as Discarded commercial chemical products, off-specification species, container residues, and spill residues thereof. These lists are the:

• U-List (Toxics) and
  
• P-List (Acutely Toxics)

When USED chemicals are evaluated, in addition to the Characteristics, two lists are used to determine if they are regulated. These include the:

• F-List (Hazardous Wastes From Non-Specific Sources) and
  
• K-List (Hazardous Wastes From Specific Sources) - No K-Listed waste is currently generated at UNO.

Contact EHS at 4-3921 for additonal information.