CEP CEP Hazardous Materials & Waste Management 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act), a hazardous waste is defined as a solid waste that:
- Is listed by EPA or exhibits a hazardous characteristic (Correct answer)
- Contains any detectable concentration of a toxic compound
- Is produced by an industrial facility with more than 100 employees
- Has been transported across state lines
Correct answer: Is listed by EPA or exhibits a hazardous characteristic
Under RCRA Subtitle C, a solid waste is hazardous if it appears on one of EPA's four hazardous waste lists (F, K, P, U) or exhibits ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity characteristics.
Question 2: Which RCRA generator category applies to a facility producing between 100 and 1,000 kilograms of hazardous waste per month?
- Very Small Quantity Generator (VSQG)
- Small Quantity Generator (SQG) (Correct answer)
- Large Quantity Generator (LQG)
- Conditionally Exempt Small Quantity Generator (CESQG)
Correct answer: Small Quantity Generator (SQG)
Under the 2016 Generator Improvements Rule, facilities generating 100–1,000 kg/month of hazardous waste are classified as Small Quantity Generators (SQG) with intermediate regulatory requirements.
Question 3: A CERCLA (Superfund) 'potentially responsible party' (PRP) includes which of the following?
- Only the current owner of a contaminated site
- Current and former owners, operators, generators, and transporters of hazardous substances (Correct answer)
- Only the party that disposed of waste at the site
- Federal agencies that issued permits for the facility
Correct answer: Current and former owners, operators, generators, and transporters of hazardous substances
CERCLA imposes joint and several liability on four classes of PRPs: current owners/operators, past owners/operators at the time of disposal, generators, and transporters who selected the site.
Question 4: The OSHA Hazard Communication Standard (HazCom) requires chemical manufacturers to provide which document with hazardous chemicals?
- Environmental Impact Statement
- Safety Data Sheet (SDS) (Correct answer)
- Remedial Investigation report
- Toxic Release Inventory form
Correct answer: Safety Data Sheet (SDS)
OSHA's HazCom Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) requires chemical manufacturers and importers to provide Safety Data Sheets (SDS) with hazardous chemicals, detailing hazards, safe handling, and emergency procedures.
Question 5: Under RCRA, the 'land disposal restrictions' (LDR) program prohibits land disposal of hazardous wastes unless they:
- Are stored in double-lined landfills only
- Meet treatment standards to reduce mobility or toxicity (Correct answer)
- Have been inspected by EPA within the past year
- Are generated by large quantity generators
Correct answer: Meet treatment standards to reduce mobility or toxicity
RCRA LDR requires hazardous wastes to be treated to EPA-established Best Demonstrated Available Technology (BDAT) standards before land disposal to reduce threats to groundwater.
Question 6: A Phase I Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) conducted per ASTM E1527-21 standards primarily involves:
- Soil and groundwater sampling and laboratory analysis
- Records review, site reconnaissance, interviews, and report preparation without sampling (Correct answer)
- Installation of groundwater monitoring wells
- Preparation of a remedial action plan
Correct answer: Records review, site reconnaissance, interviews, and report preparation without sampling
A Phase I ESA is a non-intrusive assessment that identifies recognized environmental conditions (RECs) through records review, site visit, interviews with owners/occupants, and report—no physical sampling occurs.
CEP CEP Hazardous Materials & Waste Management 1
Under RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act), a hazardous waste is defined as a solid waste that: