A Rapid and Low Cost Hazard Categorization Technique for Identifying Hazardous Wastes

摘要

Site managers and emergency responders encountering unknown materials or wastes are confronted with the need to identify the hazards associated with the safe storage, handling and disposal of the wastes. Identifyign unknwon materials using conventional loaboratory analyses can be time consuming and may lead to staggering analytical expenses. This paper describes a rapid and low cost technique for categorizing unknwon materials into RCRA and DOT hazard categories using simple wet-chemistry techniques and commercially available test papers. The technique has been successfully used by the Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 Superfund Technical Assessment and Response Team (Ecology and Environment, Inc.) as an effective cost-controllign measure for categorizing wastes at uncontrolled hazardous waste sites. It has also been used as a rapid hazard categorization technique for identifying unknown materials during emergency responses throughout EPA Region 10.