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  ABSORBENT A substance that takes up gases or liquids into its structure. For example, a sponge absorbs water and is an absorbent.
  ACUTE HAZARDOUS WASTE Hazardous waste determined by the EPA to be of the most severe hazard. Anyone generating these substances is fully regulated and obligated to adhere to all generator standards if they generate 1 kg. (2.2 lbs.) per month or more.
  ACID A chemical compound which yields hydrogen ions when dissolved in water. An acid lowers the pH value when dissolved in water. Acids are characterized by sour taste, turning litmus red, and neutralizing bases (alkalies) to form salts. Solutions with a pH value less than 7 are considered acidic.
  ACIDIC The property of a solution whose pH value is less than 7.
  ACUTE Brief or sudden. Frequently used in reference to personnel exposure to chemicals.
  ACUTE EFFECTS Toxic effects which occur over a relatively short period of time (minutes and hours). See also Chronic Effects.
  ACUTE TOXICITY A quantitative measure of the effects of a toxic agent administered once or only a few times; the period of observation is usually short (for example, 24 hours). See also Chronic Toxicity.
  ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION A non judicial enforcement action taken by the Administrator (or his designee) or a state.
  ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER An order issued by the Administrator (or his designee) to a violator of RCRA provisions, that imposes enforceable legal duties, e.g., forcing a facility to comply with specific regulations. There are four types of RCRA orders: compliance orders, corrective action orders, monitoring and analysis orders, and imminent hazard orders.
  ADMINISTRATIVE
PROCEDURES ACT		 Abbreviated "APA," a federal statute that provides min administrative standards designed to inform the public about the actions of federal agencies, and to properly protect the public's interests.  
  ADMINISTRATOR The Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or his designee.
  ADSORBENT A substance that takes up gases, liquids, or other substances onto its surface. For example, activated carbon adsorbs phenol from water and is an adsorbent.
  AIR PAD The process of removing a substance from its container by pressurizing the container with air to force the substance out. Also referred to as "pushing material." This process is an alternative to pumping, but strict DOT regulations restrict its use to certain vessels having special safety devices.
  AIR PACK A self-contained breathing apparatus. Air packs are intended for emergency use only and generally have a limited supply of breathing air.
  ALKALI (Base) A compound which forms hydroxide ions (OH-) in solution. Alkalies have the ability to neutralize acids and form salts. Their solutions are characterized by the ability to turn litmus blue. Solutions with a pH value greater than 7 are considered alkaline.
  ANNUAL REPORT A report, issued annually by corporations to their stockholders, which contains basic financial statements as well as management's opinion of the past year's operations and prospects for the future.
  ASTM The abbreviation for American Society of Testing and Materials. This is a voluntary, consensus organization which publishes test methods for numerous materials. The significance of ASTM test methods is that each published method includes that method's precision and accuracy. Thus, the results of tests performed according to the published method are admissible in court. ASTM test methods are frequently used as referee methods in the case of a dispute.
  BACK HAUL 1) Traffic moving in the direction of light flow when a carrier's traffic on a route is heavier in one direction than the other.
2) To haul a shipment back after a delivery over a route previously traveled.
  BIENNIAL REPORT A report (EPA Form 8700-13A) submitted by generators of hazardous waste to the Regional Administrator, due March 1 or each even-numbered year. The report includes information on the generator's activities during the previous calendar year. The owner or operator of a treatment, storage, and disposal facility must also prepare and submit a biennial report using EPA Form 8700-1313.
  BILL OF LADING The written transportation contract between shipper and carrier (or between their agents). It identifies the freight, who is to receive it, the place of delivery, and gives the terms of the agreement. All goods going to a receiver at one destination in a single shipment or on one truck must be on a single bill of lading.
  BIODEGRADABLE The adjective describing a substance which may be decomposed by organisms normally present in the environment.
  BOD The abbreviation for Biological Oxygen Demand, which is an analytical test to measure the deoxygenating power of a water sample. The test requires five days to complete and is sometimes referred to as BOD5. The main use of the test is to determine whether a water sample will injure micro-organisms.
  BOND Basically an IOU or promissory note a corporation usually issues in multiples of $1,000. A bond is a promise to pay the bondholder a specified amount of interest for a certain length of time, and to repay the principal before or on the expiration date.
  BTU The abbreviation for British Thermal Unit, a measure of energy in the English system of units. One BTU is the heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water from 39º F to 40º F. The quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. It is the accepted standard for the comparison of heating values of fuels. The term is typically used in the hazardous waste industry in conjunction with wastes which may be destined for fuel blending.
  CALIFORNIA WASTES A group of hazardous wastes, including those containing PCBs, heavy metals, and halogenated organic compounds, that the EPA determined should be banned from land disposal unless they are first pretreated in accordance with the required pretreatment standards.
  CERCLA The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, passed in 1980 and commonly known as "the Superfund Law." CERCLA gives the federal government the power to respond to releases, or threatened releases, of any hazardous substance into the environment, as well as to a release of any pollutant or contaminant that may present an imminent and substantial danger to public health or welfare. CERCLA established a Hazardous Substance Trust Fund (Superfund), available to finance responses by the federal government.
  CFR The abbreviation for the Code of Federal Regulations. The CFR comprises rules of the various agencies of the federal government and of the executive departments. The Code is divided into 50 titles, which represent broad subject areas of federal regulations. The parts of the CFR that have the greatest interest for Van Waters & Rogers are Part 21, Food and Drugs, and Part 49, Transportation.
  CHARACTERISTICS EPA has identified four characteristics of a hazardous waste: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and EP toxicity. Any waste that exhibits one or more of these characteristics is classified as a hazardous waste under RCRA.
  CHEMICAL COMPOSITION The listing of atoms in a molecule without regard to the bonding involved. For example, the chemical composition of methanol is CH4O. This phrase may also refer to the components of a mixture.
  CHEMICAL NAME The name for a chemical substance which describes that substance in words approved by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. For example, the chemical name for muriatic acid is hydrochloric acid.
  CHEMTREC The abbreviation for the Chemical Transportation Emergency Centers, a division of the Chemical Manufacturers Association, set up as an emergency information source for transportation accidents.
  CHLORINE A halogen element, C1; a greenish-yellow poisonous gas, C12.
  CHRONIC TOXICITY A quantitative measure of the effects of a toxic agent administered repeatedly over a period of time. The period of observation is usually long (for example, months or years). See also Acute Toxicity.
  CIVIL ACTION A law suit filed in court against a person who has either failed to comply with statutory or regulatory requirements or an administrative order, or who has contributed to a release of hazardous wastes or hazardous waste constituents. There are four types of civil actions: compliance, corrective, monitoring and analysis, and imminent hazard.
  COLIWASA Composite Liquid Waste Sampler is a tubular sampling device typically made of glass or polypropylene. It has a stopper on one end which is opened and closed from the opposite end. This device is used to obtain a representative cross-sectional sample of waste material for analysis prior to treatment or disposal.
  COMBUSTIBLE A liquid which can burn; as defined by DOT, a combustible exhibits a closed cup flash point greater than 100º F but less than 200º F. See Flash Point.
  COMMON CARRIER A transportation business that offers service to the general public. Interstate common carriers must hold a franchise issued by the Interstate Commerce Commission. This franchise limits service to a specific geographical area. Rates also are regulated. Routes and schedules of regular common carriers are regulated by government agencies, but irregular-route common carriers may set their own without regulatory approval. Most states also regulate common carriers.
  COMPATIBILITY A system to determine which products may be stored next to each other. Products are compatible if they may be mixed together without danger of adverse consequences. Products are assigned a compatibility code letter based on their properties. Products of similar codes may be stored together.
  COMPLIANCE
ORDER/ACTION		 An order or action issued under Section 3008(a) of RCRA, requiring any person who is not complying with a requirement of RCRA to take steps to come into compliance.
  CONTAINERIZATION A shipping system based upon large, cargo-carrying containers that easily can be CONTINGENCY PLAN. A document setting out an organized, planned, and coordinated course of action to be followed in case of a fire, explosion, or release of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents from a treatment, storage, or disposal facility. Contingency plans are intended for such incidents when they could threaten human health or the environment.
  CONTINGENCY PLAN A document setting out an organized, planned, and coordinated course of action to be followed in case of a fire, explosion, or release of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents from a treatment, storage, or disposal facility. Contingency plans are intended for such incidents when they could threaten human health or the environment.
  CORRECTIVE ACTION An order EPA issues that requires corrective action under RCRA Section 3008(h) at a facility when there has been a release of hazardous waste or hazardous waste constituents into the environment. Corrective action can be required beyond the facility boundary and can be required regardless of when the waste was placed at the facility.
  CONTRACT CARRIER A company that engages in for-hire transportation of property under individual contract or agreement with one or a limited number of shippers.
  CORROSIVE MATERIAL A substance which causes gradual decomposition upon contact; as defined by DOT, a regulated substance which is destructive to human skin upon contact or which corrodes steel more rapidly than 0.25 inch per year. Corrosive materials must bear the white DOT diamond.
  CRIMINAL ACTION prosecutorial action taken by the United States government or a state toward any person(s) who has knowingly and willfully not complied with the law. Such an action can result in the imposition of fines or imprisonment moved between trucks, trains, and ships without rehandling the contents.
  DEMURRAGE Detention of a freight vehicle or container beyond a stipulated time. Also the payment made for such delay.
  DESIGNATED FACILITY A hazardous waste treatment, storage, or disposal facility which has received an EPA or state permit to operate (or has interim status) and has been designated on the manifest by the generator as the facility to which the generator's waste should be delivered.
  DISCHARGE OR HAZARDOUS The accidental or intentional spilling, leaking, pumping
  WASTE DISCHARGE pouring, emitting, emptying, or dumping of hazardous waste into or on any land or water.
  DISPOSAL The discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking, or placing of any solid waste or hazardous waste into or on any land or water so that any constituent thereof may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including ground waters. Commonly referred to and thought of as a process of treating a hazardous waste so as to minimize the environmental risk associated with these activities (treatment, incineration, recycling, etc.).
  DISPOSAL FACILITY A facility, or part of a facility, at which hazardous waste is intentionally placed into or on any land or water, and at which waste will remain after closure. Commonly, these facilities conduct processing of waste (treatment, incineration, etc.) to minimize environmental risk. Facilities conducting these activities require a permit to do so.
  DOT The abbreviation for the U.S. Department of Transportation, a cabinet-level department of the executive branch of the federal government.
  DOT HAZARDOUS The appropriate DOT description which appears on the shipping papers
  CLASSIFICATION and determines the proper placard to be displayed on the transport vehicle during shipment.
  DOT SHIPPING NAME The specific product name which must be used on the bill of lading when shipping hazardous materials.
  DUN & BRADSTREET(D&B) A credit rating service bureau generally used by corporations to qualify customers before granting credit terms and conditions for sale of product.
  EP TOXICITY The characteristics of toxicity in hazardous wastes as adopted by the EPA under the RCRA regulations. "EP" refers to a specific extraction procedure (40 CRF).
  EPA The abbreviation for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a regulatory agency of the federal government.
  EPA IDENTIFICATION The unique number assigned by EPA to each generator or transporter
  NUMBER of hazardous waste, and each treatment, storage, or disposal facility.
  EP TOXICITY TEST A test method, called the Extraction Procedure (EP), that is designed to identify wastes which have the ability or tendency to leach hazardous concentrations of particular toxic constituents (e.g., heavy metals) into the ground water as a result of improper management. These toxics have been determined to be harmful at specified levels.
  EXCEPTION REPORT A report that generators who have had waste transported off-site must submit to the Regional Administrator if they do not receive a copy of the manifest signed and dated by the owner or operator of the designated facility to which their waste was shipped within 45 days of the date on which the initial transporter accepted the waste.
  EXISTING FACILITY A facility which was in operation or for which construction commenced on or before November 19, 1980.
  FACILITY All contiguous land, structure, other appurtenances, and improvements on the land, used for treating storing, or disposing of hazardous waste. A facility may consist of several treatment, storage, or disposal operational units, e.g., one or more landfills, surface impoundments, or a combination of them.
  FAHRENHEIT A thermometer scale based on the temperature at which water freezes and boils, 32º F and 212º F, respectively.
  FEDERAL REGISTER A publication of the U.S. Government Printing Office, in which all rules, regulations, and notices of all governmental bodies are printed. Publication in the Federal Register serves as official notification to the public. Abbreviated FR.
  FIFRA The abbreviation for the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, which is administered by the EPA.
  FLAMMABILITY RANGE The range of temperatures at which a chemical will ignite under normal atmospheric conditions.
  FLAMMABLE SUBSTANCE A substance that will burn; as defined by DOT, a liquid is flammable if it exhibits a closed cup flash point less than 100º F (see Flash Point). A solid is flammable if it burns so vigorously when ignited that it creates a transportation hazard or if it is spontaneously combustible. A compressed gas is a flammable mixture if its flammability range is wider than 12 percent. A flammable substance must carry the red DOT diamond.
  FLASH POINT The lowest temperature at which the vapors of a liquid form a flammable mixture with air. Flash points are reported as "closed cup" or "open cup"; closed cup measurements are used to determine DOT flammability.
  FOOD-CHAIN CROPS Tobacco, crops grown for human consumption, and crops grown to feed animals whose products are consumed by humans.
  FORCE MAJEURE A phrase used in legal proceedings to mean an event that cannot be reasonably anticipated or controlled, an "act of God."
  FREEBOARD The vertical distance between the top of a tank or surface impoundment dike and the surface of the waste contained therein.
  GENERATOR Any person who first creates a hazardous waste, or first makes the waste subject to the Subtitle C regulations (e.g., imports a hazardous waste, initiates a shipment of a hazardous waste, or mixes hazardous wastes of different DOT shipping descriptions by placing them into a single container).
  GROUND WATER By convention, the term for all underground water such as subsurface aquifers or deep wells.
  GUIDANCE DOCUMENT The document issued primarily to elaborate and provide direction on the implementation of regulations.
  HALOGENATED A group of organic compounds that include one or more atoms of a halogen
  HYDROCARBONS (for example, chlorine or bromine) in their molecular structures. A typical product of this kind is any of the Freon blends. See also Chlorinated Hydrocarbons.
  HALOGENS The nonmetallic elements in the seventh group of the periodic chart: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine.
  HAMMER PROVISION
(Hard Hammer and Soft Hammer) 		Statutory requirements that go into effect automatically if EPA fails to issue regulations by certain dates specified in the statute
  HAZARDOUS MATERIAL A substance that meets the DOT definition or is listed in Part 172, and which requires DOT hazard labeling on packages and placarding on trucks.
  HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE A substance that meets the EPA definition or is listed in CFR 40 under CERCLA section 101(14), and is listed in the appendix to 172.101.
  HAZARDOUS WASTE As defined in RCRA, a solid waste (which the regulations define as a liquid or solid), or combination of solid wastes, which because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics may:
A) Cause or significantly contribute to an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating reversible, illness; or
B) Pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, or disposed of or otherwise managed. As defined in the regulations, a solid waste is hazardous if it fulfills one of four conditions:
1. Exhibits a characteristic of hazardous waste (40 CFR Sections 261.20 through 262.24);
2. Has been listed as hazardous (40 CFR Sections 261.31 through 261.33);
3. Is a mixture containing a listed hazardous waste and a nonhazardous solid waste (unless the mixture is specifically excluded or no longer exhibits any of the characteristics of hazardous waste); or
4. Is not excluded from regulation as a hazardous waste.
  HAZARDOUS WASTE FUEL BLENDING The phrase is typically used to refer to the activity of blending a minimum of 5,000 BTUs) to meet a given specification for burning to beneficially utilize the heat contact of the waste. (Otherwise, the burning of these wastes is considered as going for destructive incineration.) Much of these blended waste materials go to cement kilns or industrial furnaces. These facilities must obtain a permit and are regulated as a Transporter/Storage/Disposal Facility (TSDF).
  HEAVY METALS The group of metallic elements which are precipitated from solution by hydrogen sulfide; generally, those metals with atomic numbers greater than 24.
  HM The abbreviation for hazardous material. Frequently used in reference to hazardous material as defined in RCRA (see also Hazardous Material).
  HSWA The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (Public Law 98-616), which significantly expanded both the scope and the coverage of RCRA.
  HYDROCARBON An organic compound containing only hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons can be aliphatic or aromatic. Styrene and hexane are hydrocarbons.
  IDENTIFICATION NUMBER A number used in reference to DOT regulations for shipping hazardous materials. Identification numbers have been assigned to hazardous materials based on the characteristics of the material. The numbers are intended to improve the capability of emergency personnel to identify hazardous materials and to ensure immediate access to emergency response information in the case of an incident. Identification numbers have a "UN" prefix or an "NA" prefix. The "UN" prefix is associated with hazardous material descriptions which are acceptable for international or domestic shipment. The "NA" prefix is associated with hazardous material descriptions which are acceptable for domestic shipments only. The Hazardous Material Regulations require the identification number be placed on all shipping papers and on all bulk tanks. Additionally, the identification number must be placed on all packages containing hazardous materials and on all chlorine ton cylinders.
  IMMINENT HAZARD ORDER An order the agency with relevant jurisdiction uses under the authority of RCRA Section 7003 to make sure steps are taken to clean up hazardous waste problems. An imminent hazard order is directed at the person contributing to an imminent and substantial endangering of human health or the environment caused by the handling of nonhazardous or hazardous solid waste.
  INCINERATOR Any enclosed device using controlled-flame combustion that neither meets the criteria for classification as a boiler nor is listed as an industrial furnace. This device is a means of thermal treatment of hazardous waste.
  INTERIM STATUS Regulatory status that allows owners and operators of TSDFs that were in existence, or for which construction had commenced, prior to November 19, 1980, to continue to operate without a final permit after that date. Owners and operators of TSDFs are also eligible for interim status on an ongoing basis if the TSDF is in existence on any other effective date of regulatory changes under RCRA that cause the facility to be subject to Subtitle C regulation. Owners and operators in interim status are subject to and must comply with the applicable standards in 40 CFR Part 265. Interim status is gained through the notification process and by submitting Part A of the permit application.
  KILOGRAM A unit of mass in the metric system: one thousand grams, equal to 2.2046 pounds; abbreviated kg.
  LAND BAN REQUIREMENTS A set of regulations governing a list of hazardous wastes which prohibits the wastes specified from being placed into or on land for disposal purposes without being treated to specified treatment levels.
  LANDFILL (Class I) A disposal facility or part of a facility where hazardous waste is placed in or on land and which is not a land treatmen facility, surface impoundment, or injection well.
  LAND TREATMENT FACILITY A facility or part of a facility at which hazardous waste is applied onto or incorporated into the soil surface. Such facilities are disposal facilities if the waste remains after closure.
  LEACHATE Any liquid, including any suspended components in the liquid, that has percolated through or drained from hazardous waste.
  LINER A continuous layer of natural or man-made materials, beneath or on the sides of a surface impoundment, landfill, or landfill cell, which restricts the downward or lateral escape of hazardous waste, hazardous waste constituents, or leachate.
  LEACHATE A solution of contaminants produced by water flowing through materials such as organic matter, soil, or landfills.
  LONG-TERM LIABILITY Any claim or obligation to make payments at dates over one year in the future.
  L/T/L (Less-than-Truck Load) A shipment of less than 40,000 pounds, delivered via truck.
  MANIFEST The shipping document, EPA Form 8700-22, used for identifying the quantity, composition, origin, routing, and destination of hazardous waste during its transportation from the point of generation to the point of treatment, storage, or disposal.
  METRIC TON One thousand kilograms, or 2,200 pounds.
  MONITORING AND
ORDER ANALYSIS 		An administrative order used to evaluate the nature and extent of a substantial hazard to human health or at a TSDF. It can be issued either to the current owner or to a past owner or operator if the facility is not currently in operation, or if the present owner could not be expected to have actual knowledge of the potential release.
  MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS Abbreviated MSDS or MSD sheets. A document prepared by the product's manufacturer which describes the product's properties, safe handling and storage procedures, first aid measures, and labeling requirements. MSD sheets are required under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and must be available for personnel to review at each branch.
  NA NUMBER An identification number used in reference to DOT regulations for shipping hazardous materials. The "NA" prefix is associated with hazardous material descriptions which are acceptable for North American shipment only. See also identification number.
  NEW FACILITY A TSDF which began operation or for which construction commenced after November 19, 1980.
  OPEN DUMP Any facility or site where solid waste is disposed of, which is 1) not a sanitary landfill that meets the criteria listed in 40 CFR part 257 (Subtitle D Criteria), and 2) not a facility for the disposal of hazardous waste.
  OPERATOR The person responsible for the overall operation of a facility.
  OWNER The person who owns a facility or part of a facility.
  ORGANIC Containing carbon (except carbonates, bi-carbonates, and cyanides).
  ORM-A The abbreviation for Other Regulated Material - Class A. Used in reference to the DOT hazard classification of chemicals whose transportation is regulated by the Hazardous Materials Regulations. An ORM-A material is one whose properties would cause extreme annoyance or discomfort to passengers or crew if it leaked during shipment. Carbon tetrachloride is an example of ORM-A.
  ORM-B The abbreviation for Other Regulated Material - Class B. See also ORM-A above. An ORM-B material is one capable of causing significant damage to a transport vehicle if it should leak during transport. Anhydrous ferric chloride is an example of ORM-B.
  ORM-C The abbreviation for Other Regulated Material - Class C. See also ORM-A above. An ORM-C material is one whose characteristics do not fit the ORM-A or ORM-B classification but nonetheless make it unsuitable for shipment unless properly identified and packaged. Uncleaned or used burlap bags are an example of ORM-C.
  ORM-D The abbreviation for Other Regulated Material - Class D. See also ORM-A above. An ORM-D material is one which may be subject to DOT regulations but which presents a limited transportation hazard due to its form, quantity, and packaging. ORM-D materials are materials for which exceptions have been provided in the Hazardous Materials Regulations and which are consumer commodities. Specific quantity and packaging details required for ORM-D classification are given in the Regulations.
  ORM-E The abbreviation for Other Regulated Material - Class E. See also ORM-A above. An ORM-E material is hazardous waste of a material not included in any other hazard class.
  OSHA The abbreviation for either the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (PL 91-596) or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which is a branch of the Department of Labor. Since the Act established the Administration, the references are interchangeable. The Act requires employers to assure safe and healthful working conditions for their employees. The Administration administers the regulations of the Act. The Act provides for inspections and penalties for noncompliance. It also regulates personnel exposure to toxic substances in the workplace. Early inspection activity was primarily directed toward workplace safety; recent activity has been directed toward occupational health.
  OSHA HAZARD CATEGORIES As given by OSHA in definitions for determining OSHA-defined hazardous substances: Ignitable, Sudden Release, Reactive, Immediate Effect, and Delayed Effect.
  OXIDIZER A material capable of oxidizing another material; a material that readily yields oxygen, or that removes hydrogen from another compound, or that attracts electrons. For example, hydrogen peroxide.
  PART B The second part of the TSDF permit application process, which included detailed and highly technical information concerning the TSDF in question. There is no standard form for Part B. Instead, the facility must submit information based on the regulatory requirements.
  PARTIAL CLOSURE The closure of a discrete part of a facility in accordance with the applicable closure requirements of 40 CFR, Part 264 or 265. For example, partial closure may include the closure of a trench, a landfill cell, or a pit, while other parts of the same facility continue in operation or will be placed in operation in the future.
  PERMIT An authorization, license, or equivalent control document issued by EPA or an authorized state to implement the regulatory requirements of Subtitle C, Parts 264 and 265, for TSDFs.
  PERMIT-BY-RULE A provision of Subtitle C, whereby a facility is deemed to have an RCRA permit if it is permitted under the Safe Drinking Waster Act, the Clean Water Act, or the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, and also meets a few additional Subtitle C requirements as specified at 40 CFR Section 270.60.
  PERSON An individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, corporation (including a government corporation), partnership, association, state, municipality, commission, political subdivision of a state, or any interstate body.
  POINT SOURCE Any discernible, confined, and discrete conveyance, including but not limited to any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operation, or vessel or other floating craft, from which pollutants are or may be discharged. This term does not include return flows from irrigated agriculture.
  POLICY A document that specifies operating procedures that must be followed. Policies are used by program offices to outline the manner in which pieces of the RCRA program are to be carried out.
  pH A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14; zero represents the most acidic, and 14 represents the most basic; 7.0 is neither acidic nor basic but neutral. The pH scale is a logarithm, so pH 2.0 is ten time more acidic than pH 3.0. All pH values below 7.0 are acidic, while all values above 7.0 are basic.
  PPM The abbreviation for part per million; one part in one million parts or 1/106. See also PPB.
  PROPER SHIPPING NAME The name of a product as defined by DOT. The proper shipping name must be written on the bill of lading, in addition to its common name, if it is sold under its common name. For example, the proper shipping name for muriatic acid is hydrochloric acid and for Chlorothene SM is 1, 1, 1-trichloroethane.
  RCRA The abbreviation for the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, PL 94-580. The purpose of this Act is to ensure that hazardous wastes are disposed of in environmentally sound ways and to encourage resource recovery by recycling materials. RCRA is administered by the EPA. EPA requires generators, stores, transporters, and treaters of hazardous wastes to register their facilities and submit reports.
  RCRA The acronym for the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976. What we commonly refer to as "RCRA" is an amendment to the first piece of federal solid waste legislation, called the Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965. RCRA was amended in 1980 and most recently on November 8, 1984, by HSWA.
  REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR The highest-ranking official in each of the ten EPA regions.
  REGULATION The legal mechanism that spells out how a statute's broad policy directives are to be carried out. Regulations are published in the Federal Register and then codified in the Code of Federal Regulations.
  REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE A sample of a whole (e.g., waste pile, lagoon, ground water, or waste stream) which is expected to exhibit the average properties of the whole.
  RESOURCE CONSERVATION Reduction of the amounts of solid waste that are generated, reduction of overall resource consumption, and utilization of recovered resources.
  RESOURCE RECOVERY The recovery of materials or energy from waste.
  RECYCLE To recover saleable products from sludge, spent material, or other contaminated products. Recycling generally involves processes such as filtration, distillation, and drying, and is usually applied to organic solvents.
  RESPIRATOR A device which is worn over the nose and mouth to protect the wearer from breathing chemicals. Respirators have replaceable cartridges which filter out a given class of chemicals from ambient air, which the wearer is breathing. Respirators should not be worn in areas of very high vapor concentrations (greater than two percent). Respirator cartridges are available for many chemical classes and are only effective when used with the appropriate chemical class.
  RQ The abbreviation for reportable quantity. Used in reference to spills of chemicals regulated by EPA under RCRA. The RQ is dependent upon the nature of the chemical. The RCRA requires that a spill of a regulated chemical in excess of the RQ be reported to the EPA. Specific RQ values are listed in the appendix to 172.01 in the DOT Hazardous Materials Regulations. The symbol RQ must be placed before or after a product's shipping paper description if any single container of that product has a content weight equal to or more than the RQ weight.
  SARA The abbreviation for regulations requiring "community-right-to-know" steps, including the filing of OSHA hazardous product lists, quantities and plant locations, each March 1 with local and state agencies.
  SHIPPING DESCRIPTION A rigid formula required by DOT for describing products on shipping papers. As specified in 172.200, etc., the descriptor must be arranged in the following order: DOT product name, our name--if different--DOT hazard class, UN or NA number. Note: The symbol RQ, if needed, goes in front of the DOT product name, and any required container exemption number goes in front of everything.
  SITE The land or water area where any facility or activity is physically located or conducted, including adjacent land used in connection with the facility or activity.
  SLUDGE Any solid, semisolid, or liquid waste generated from a municipal, commercial, or industrial wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility, exclusive of the treated effluent from a wastewater treatment plant.
  SMALL QUANTITY A generator who produces less than 1,000 kg. of hazardous waste per
  GENERATOR month (or accumulates less than 1,000 kg. at any one time) or one who produces less than 1 kg. of acutely hazardous waste per month (or accumulates less than 1 kg. of acutely hazardous waste at any one time). The ceiling of small quantity generators was lowered to 100 kg. per month of hazardous waste, effective March 31, 1986.
  SOLID WASTE As defined in RCRA, any garbage, refuse, sludge from a waste treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility, and other discarded materials. Solid waste includes solid, liquid, semisolid, or contained gaseous material resulting from industrial, commercial, mining, or agricultural operations, and from community activities. The term does not include solid or dissolved materials in domestic sewage, or solid or dissolved materials in irrigation return flows or industrial discharges which are point sources subject to permits under the Clean Water Act. Nor does it include special nuclear or byproduct materials as defined by the Atomic Energy Act of 1954.
  SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL ACT See "RCRA" OF 1965.
  STATE Any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
  STATUTE The law as passed by Congress and signed by the president.
  STORAGE The holding of hazardous waste for a temporary period, at the end of which the hazardous waste is treated, disposed of, or stored elsewhere. This can take place on-site or it can involve transportation to another TSDF.
  SUPERFUND See "CERCLA".
  SUPPLEMENTAL FUELS Used to refer to wastes being used as fuel blending material.
  SURFACE IMPOUNDMENT A facility or part of a facility that is a natural topographic depression, man-made excavation, or diked area formed typically of earthen materials (although it may be lined with man-made materials) and designed to hold an accumulation of liquid wastes or wastes containing free liquids, and which is not an injection well. Examples of surface impoundments are holding, storage, settling, and aeration pits, ponds, and lagoons.
  SLUDGE 1) Solid or semisolid material which settles out of a solution. 2) Spent material which has been used in a chemical process and is intended for recycling or disposal.
  SOLID A substance of definite shape; matter in its most concentrated form. A solid does not take the shape of its container.
  SOLVENT The substance which dissolves a solute to form a solution.
  SPECIFIC GRAVITY A measure of density of a liquid compared to water, the specific gravity of which is defined as 1.000; abbreviated sp.g.
  TANK A stationary vessel designed to contain an accumulation of hazardous waste.
  THE ACT A short name for the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
  THERMAL TREATMENT The treatment of hazardous waste in a device which uses elevated temperatures as the primary means to change the chemical, physical, or biological character or composition of the hazardous waste. Incineration is an example of thermal treatment.
  TOTALLY ENCLOSED TOXIC SUBSTANCES A facility or device for the treatment of hazardous Chemicals which are subject to the regulations issued under the Toxic Substances Control Act by the EPA (40 CFR); this term is also used in a generic sense to mean "toxic chemicals" or "toxic agents."
  TOXIC WASTES Those hazardous wastes which meet the characteristics of EP toxicity as defined in the RCRA regulations by the EPA (40 CFR). See also EP Toxicity.
  TOXICITY A quantitative assessment of the capacity of a toxic agent to kill or cause harm; either acute toxicity (short-term) or chronic toxicity (longer-term exposure or action).
  TRANSPORTER An organization formally designated by the EPA, and certain states, under RCRA as permitted to transport hazardous wastes.
  TRANSFER FACILITY Any transportation-related facility, including loading docks, parking areas, storage areas, and other similar areas where shipments of hazardous waste are temporarily held during the normal course of transportation.
  TRANSPORTER Any person engaged in the off-site transportation of hazardous waste within the United States, by air, rail, highway, or water, if such transportation requires a manifest under 40 CFR Part 262.
  TREATMENT Any method, technique, or process, including neutralization, designed to change the physical, chemical, or biological character or composition of any hazardous waste so as to neutralize it or render it nonhazardous or less hazardous, or to recover it or make it safer to transport, store, or dispose of. Treatment also includes making hazardous waste amenable to recovery, storage, or volume reduction.
  TSDF Under RCRA, the abbreviated EPA term for treatment, storage, or disposal facility.
  VECTOR A carrier, usually in insect, that is capable of transmitting disease from one organism to another.

 

 

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