Military Munitions Rule Awareness Practice Test

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of hazardous waste as defined by RCRA?

1. Reactivity

2. Corrosivity

3. Ferrous

4. Toxicity

The correct answer is: Ferrous

In the context of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), hazardous waste is characterized by specific properties that indicate its potential dangers to human health and the environment. The characteristics of hazardous waste include reactivity, corrosivity, and toxicity. Reactivity describes substances that can produce violent reactions under certain conditions, while corrosivity refers to materials that can corrode metals or cause severe damage to human tissues or other materials upon contact. Toxicity indicates the extent to which a substance can harm organisms through exposure, whether through ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact. Ferrous, however, is not a characteristic of hazardous waste under RCRA. Instead, it refers to iron or iron-containing compounds. While ferrous materials can be hazardous under certain circumstances, being ferrous does not inherently classify a substance as hazardous waste. The focus of hazardous waste classification relies on the properties of reactivity, corrosivity, and toxicity, which help identify materials that pose risks in waste management. Thus, identifying ferrous as not being a characteristic aligns with the established definitions under RCRA.