Agency has separated hazardous wastes into the categories that follow.
Corrosive
Corrosive wastes are strong acids or strong bases (e.g., battery acid) that are
capable of corroding metal containers, such as storage tanks, drums, or barrels.
Discarded Commercial Products
Discarded commercial products are specific commercial chemical products in an
unused form. Some pesticides and some pharmaceutical products become
hazardous when discarded.
Ignitable
Ignitable wastes can create fires under certain conditions, are spontaneously
combustible, or have a flash point (e.g., waste oil and used solvents).
Mutagens
Mutagens are physical or chemical agents that cause changes in genetic material
(e.g., DNA). Many mutagens can also cause cancer and are known in this case as
“carcinogens.”
Nonspecific Source
This category includes wastes from common manufacturing and industrial
processes (e.g., solvents used in cleaning or degreasing operations).
Radioactive
Radioactive wastes are usually a by-product of nuclear power generation and
other applications of nuclear fission, such as research and medicine. Radioactive
waste is hazardous to most forms of life and the environment, and is regulated
by government agencies to protect human health and the environment.
Low-level radioactive wastes contain low levels of radiation and remain
dangerous for a relatively short time (i.e., hundreds of years or less). They can be
stored in shielded barrels on-site until they can be disposed of at a hazardous
waste landfill.
High-level radioactive wastes contain high levels of radiation and remain
dangerous for a very long time (i.e., tens of thousands of years). Storage
typically involves sealing the radioactive waste in a steel cylinder, which is then
placed in a concrete cylinder, which acts as a radiation shield and must be cooled
before it can be sent to hazardous waste sites that are especially designed to