Hazardous Waste Characterization
Jones and Henry Laboratories is able to analyze your waste sample for specific characteristics to determine if it is a hazardous waste as regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The characteristic properties that define a hazardous waste include: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and toxicity.
To determine toxicity, the EPA developed a lab procedure called Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) to replicate the leaching process that occurs when a waste is buried in a landfill. The leachate that is created in the lab using this procedure is analyzed to determine if it exceeds regulatory limits for 39 different compounds.
Maximum Concentration Limits (MCL) of Contaminants for the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure
| Contaminant | MCL (mg/L) | Contaminant | MCL (mg/L) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenic | 5.0 | Hexachlorobenzene | 0.13 |
| Barium | 100.0 | Hexachlorobutadiene | 0.5 |
| Benzene | 5.0 | Hexachloroethane | 3.0 |
| Cadmium | 1.0 | Lead | 5.0 |
| Carbon tetrachloride | 0.5 | Lindane | 0.4 |
| Chlordane | 0.03 | Mercury | 0.2 |
| Chlorobenzene | 100.0 | Methoxychlor | 10.0 |
| Chloroform | 6.0 | Methyl ethyl ketone | 200.0 |
| Chromium | 5.0 | Nitrobenzene | 2.0 |
| o-Cresol* | 200.0 | Pentachlorophenol | 100.0 |
| m-Cresol* | 200.0 | Pyridine | 5.0 |
| p-Cresol* | 200.0 | Selenium | 1.0 |
| Total Cresols* | 200.0 | SLiver | 5.0 |
| 2,4-D | 10.0 | Tetrachloroethylene | 0.7 |
| 1,4-Dichlorobenzene | 7.5 | Toxaphene | 0.5 |
| 1,2-Dichloroethane | 0.5 | Trichloroethylene | 0.5 |
| 1,1-Dichloroethylene | 0.7/td> | 2.4.5-Trichlorophenol | 400.0 |
| 2,4-Dinitrotoluene | 0.13 | 2,4,6-Trichlorophenol | 2.0 |
| Endrin | 0.02 | 2,4,5-TP (Silvex) | 1.0 |
| Heptachlor (and its epoxide) | 0.008 | Vinyl chloride | 0.2 |
