Toxicity Characteristic

The term "toxicity" refers to a material's ability to damage an organism. Since most substances are toxic at high enough levels, a waste's toxicity characteristic is instead measured by how much its constituents can leach into the groundwater. Determining this characteristic is accomplished by first grinding up the waste material and introducing an acid to create a leachate. Next, the concentrations of specific compounds in the leachate are measured. You can find more information in 40 CFR 261.24, which lists many compounds and the concentrations at which they are considered toxic.

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