tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414946164942126209.post1588798838235342814..comments2024-03-28T06:33:02.061-04:00Comments on Encyclopedia of American Loons: #2217: Cindy SchneiderG.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08875360501107597863noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414946164942126209.post-15181248237200429692019-07-19T13:56:57.596-04:002019-07-19T13:56:57.596-04:00Just for additional information the above info abo...Just for additional information the above info about hazardous waste can be found in title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR) part 261 subparts B and C. https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/part-261Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15301110395554671943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-414946164942126209.post-25489088622727653232019-07-18T22:33:46.819-04:002019-07-18T22:33:46.819-04:00Just like to make a correction to your post.
The E...Just like to make a correction to your post.<br />The EPA does indeed classify hazardous waste, at least partially, by levels. The main set of hazardous waste regulations is the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). In these regulations, hazardous waste is defined by several criteria. One of these is called Characteristic Hazardous Waste which defines waste as hazardous if it exhibits one or more of four "characteristics": ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity.<br />The toxic characteristic is in turn defined as having a concentration of a fairly short list of toxic contaminants at or above a certain concentration when subjected to a defined laboratory analysis protocol called the Toxic Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP). Mercury is indeed one of the listed contaminants. It's been a few years since I worked in the hazardous waste biz, but if memory serves the level for Hg is 0.2 mg/L (~ppm). It also doesn't matter what form the mercury is in (methyl, ethyl, elemental, or any other form), as long as it is detectable with the methods given in the TCLP. However whether a discarded ampule of flu vaccine would be classified by the EPA as characteristic hazardous waste is totally irrelevant to whether the vaccine is safe or not. A discarded bottle of whiskey could also be classified as a characteristic hazardous waste under the ignitability characteristic. Discarded gasoline would exhibit two characteristics: ignitability and toxicity due to benzene.Randyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15301110395554671943noreply@blogger.com