Industrial Environmental Management. Tapas K. Das
liability, which is strict, joint and several, and retroactive. PRPs are (i) present or (ii) past owners of hazardous waste disposal facilities, (iii) generators of hazardous waste, and (iv) transporters of hazardous waste.
Examples (Multiple Choice)
Example 2.3
National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) are not promulgated by EPA for which of the following pollutants?
1 Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
2 Sulfur dioxide (SO2)
3 Mercury
4 Ozone
Example 2.4
Primary NAAQS are established to
1 protect children from toxic air pollutants
2 protect the public welfare, including protection against decreased visibility, damage to animals, crops, vegetation, and buildings
3 protect the public health, including the health of “sensitive” populations such as asthmatics, children, and the elderly
4 both B and C
Example 2.5
A waste is determined to be characteristically toxic under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) if
1 the waste contains specific compounds at greater than threshold concentrations
2 it is determined that chemicals in the waste are bioaccumulative, toxic, and persistent in the environment
3 leachate from the waste contains specific compounds at greater than threshold concentrations
4 exposure to the waste causes adverse health effects in laboratory animals
Solution
The leachability of specific compounds at greater than threshold concentration determines whether a waste is characteristically RCRA hazardous for toxicity.
Example 2.6
Under Superfund legislation, a company can be held liable for all costs associated with remediation of a contaminated site.
1 Only if the company disposed of wastes at the site illegally
2 Only if the company is solely responsible for contaminated at the site
3 Only if the company disposed of waste at the site illegally and is solely responsible for contamination at the site
4 If the company disposed of wastes at the site legally and contributed only a small fraction of wastes disposed of at the site
Solution
The strict, joint, and several provisions of the Superfund legislation mean that a company might be held responsible for all of the cleanup costs associated with a site, even if the company's activities were legal and contributed only a small fraction of the contamination at the site.
Example 2.7
ISO 14000 refers to a set of voluntary standards that include
1 worker safety standards
2 specific techniques for monitoring and sampling
3 standards for environmental management systems
4 concentrations of pollutants that are allowed after site remediation is completed
Solution
ISO 14000 includes standards for environmental management systems.
Example 2.8
A parts manufacturer uses a solvent degreaser for cleaning parts. The solvent used in the degreaser is a suspected carcinogen. The manufacturer reduces the amount of solvent it disposes of by filtering dirty solvent and returning it to the degreaser. This pollution prevention strategy is known as
1 source reduction
2 in‐process recycling
3 out‐of‐process recycling
4 end‐of‐pipe treatment
Solution
Source reduction would be a reduction in the amount of solvent used; in this case, no changes are made to eliminate or reduce the use of the solvent. An example of out‐of‐process recycle would be to send the solvent off‐site to be recycled. End‐of‐pipe treatment would consist of treating the solvent to make it less toxic before disposing of it. In this case, the solvent is filtered and returned to the same equipment that created the dirty solvent. Therefore, this is in‐process recycling.
Example 2.9
Mixed wastes are wastes that
1 contain radioactive wastes regulated under the Atomic Energy Act (AEA) and hazardous wastes regulated under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
2 are comprised of both solid and liquids
3 include both nonhazardous and hazardous wastes regulated under RCRA
4 contain municipal solid wastes and hazardous wastes regulated under RCRA
Solution
Mixed waste is defined as a waste mixture that contains both radioactive materials subject to the AEA and a hazardous waste component regulated under the RCRA.