CHMM (IHMM) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

RCRA

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976, amended 1984), the federal law governing hazardous waste from cradle to grave through Subtitle C and non-hazardous solid waste through Subtitle D.

CERCLA

Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (1980) established the Superfund cleanup program and imposed retroactive, strict, joint and several liability on parties releasing hazardous substances.

EPCRA

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (1986), enacted as SARA Title III, requires local emergency planning committees, release notification, chemical inventory reporting, and public disclosure of toxic releases.

TSCA

Toxic Substances Control Act (1976) regulates manufacture, import, and use of industrial chemicals not covered by other statutes; PCBs are managed under TSCA at 40 CFR 761.

HAZWOPER

OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.120 covering hazardous waste operations and emergency response; general site workers require 40 hours of initial training plus 24 hours of supervised field experience.

NPDES permit

National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued under Clean Water Act section 402, authorizing point-source discharges of pollutants to waters of the United States within stated effluent limits.

Reportable quantity

The threshold mass of a CERCLA hazardous substance whose release triggers immediate notification to the National Response Center and to state and local emergency planning committees.

Tier II inventory report

Annual EPCRA filing due March 1 that lists hazardous chemicals stored on site at or above threshold planning quantities, including amounts, locations, and storage conditions.

Toxics Release Inventory

EPCRA section 313 program requiring covered facilities to report annual releases and waste management of listed chemicals on Form R, due July 1 for the prior calendar year.

Universal waste

Simplified RCRA management rules for common wastes such as batteries, lamps, mercury-containing equipment, pesticides, and aerosol cans, reducing paperwork compared with full hazardous waste regulation.

Land Disposal Restrictions

RCRA program requiring hazardous waste to meet specific treatment standards, based on best demonstrated available technology, before the waste may be disposed of on land.

TCLP

Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (EPA Method 1311), an extraction test simulating landfill leaching that determines whether a waste carries a toxicity characteristic waste code.

Octanol-water partition coefficient

Log Kow measures a chemical's preference for fat versus water; values above roughly 3 indicate a tendency to bioaccumulate in organisms and partition into sediment and soil organic matter.

Henry's law constant

Describes air-water partitioning as C_air = H times C_water; large values mean a dissolved chemical volatilizes readily, small values mean it remains largely in the water phase.

Lower explosive limit

The minimum vapor concentration in air at which a flammable gas or vapor can ignite; below the LEL the mixture is too lean to burn and above the UEL it is too rich.

Flash point

The lowest temperature at which a liquid gives off enough vapor to form an ignitable mixture with air near its surface; NFPA 30 Class I liquids are below 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Vapor density

Ratio of a vapor's molecular weight to that of air, approximately 29; values above 1 mean the vapor sinks and collects in low or confined spaces.

LD50

The single dose of a substance, usually expressed in milligrams per kilogram of body weight, that kills 50 percent of a test animal population; lower values indicate greater acute toxicity.

TLV-TWA

American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists threshold limit value expressed as an 8-hour time-weighted average concentration for a conventional 40-hour workweek.

Darcy's law

Groundwater flow equation Q = K times i times A, where K is hydraulic conductivity, i is hydraulic gradient, and A is cross-sectional area; used to size extraction wells.

Bioconcentration factor

The steady-state ratio of a chemical's concentration in an organism to its concentration in surrounding water; frequently estimated from the chemical's octanol-water partition coefficient.

IDLH

Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health, the NIOSH concentration above which a chemical poses an immediate threat, requiring supplied-air respiratory protection and prohibiting unprotected entry.

Satellite accumulation

RCRA allowance to accumulate up to 55 gallons of hazardous waste, or 1 quart of liquid acute hazardous waste, at or near the point of generation, with three days to relocate once the limit is reached.

Waste minimization hierarchy

Preferred order of waste management: source reduction first, followed by reuse, recycling, and treatment, with land disposal as the least preferred option.

Secondary containment

Impervious curbing, dikes, or liners beneath containers that capture spills and leaks; typically sized for the largest container plus freeboard or 10 percent of aggregate volume.

Safety Data Sheet

Sixteen-section document required under hazard communication, covering identification, hazards, composition, first aid, firefighting measures, handling and storage, exposure controls, and disposal.

Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest

EPA Form 8700-22 tracking document that accompanies hazardous waste shipments and is signed by the generator, transporter, and receiving facility, with a copy returned to the generator.

Closed container rule

RCRA requirement that hazardous waste containers be kept closed except when waste is being added or removed, preventing releases and vapor emissions to the environment.

Contingency plan

RCRA emergency response plan naming coordinators and alternates, describing arrangements with local responders, evacuation routes, and response equipment, kept current and on site.

Contamination reduction zone

The warm zone between the exclusion and support zones where personnel, equipment, and samples are decontaminated before leaving the hazardous waste work area.

Weekly container inspection

RCRA requirement for large and small quantity generators to check hazardous waste containers at least weekly for leaks, corrosion, and deterioration, documenting the results.

DOT recurrent training

Hazmat employees must be retrained at least every three years in general awareness, function-specific requirements, safety, and security awareness under 49 CFR 172.704.