ACS CP ACS CP Chemical Regulations & Compliance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A substance is classified as a RCRA characteristic hazardous waste if it exhibits which characteristic?
- It contains any detectable amount of a regulated metal
- Ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity (TCLP test) (Correct answer)
- It is listed on EPA's F, K, P, or U waste lists
- It has a hazardous waste number (HW#) in RCRA regulations
Correct answer: Ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity (TCLP test)
RCRA characteristic hazardous waste must exhibit at least one of four characteristics: ignitability (flash point <60°C), corrosivity (pH <2 or >12.5), reactivity, or toxicity (TCLP leachate exceeds limits).
Question 2: Under OSHA's Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs), a 'ceiling value' means the concentration that:
- Should not be exceeded for more than 15 minutes per work shift
- Must never be exceeded at any time during the work shift (Correct answer)
- Represents the average exposure over an 8-hour workday
- May be exceeded briefly if the STEL is not exceeded
Correct answer: Must never be exceeded at any time during the work shift
A ceiling value (C) is a concentration that must never be exceeded at any time, as opposed to PEL (8-hr TWA) or STEL (15-min short-term), because even brief exposures above the ceiling are considered immediately hazardous.
Question 3: SARA Title III (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, EPCRA) requires facilities to report chemical inventories to local emergency planners under:
- Section 302 for extremely hazardous substances planning
- Section 311/312 Tier I/II chemical inventory reporting
- Section 313 Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reporting
- All of the above are SARA Title III requirements (Correct answer)
Correct answer: All of the above are SARA Title III requirements
SARA Title III encompasses emergency planning (Section 302), chemical inventory reporting (Sections 311/312), and toxic chemical release reporting (Section 313 - TRI), all of which are mandatory compliance requirements.
Question 4: In OSHA's process safety management (PSM), a 'near miss' incident should be:
- Reported only if it caused property damage exceeding $10,000
- Investigated and documented as thoroughly as actual incidents to prevent future accidents (Correct answer)
- Kept confidential within the safety department to avoid regulatory scrutiny
- Reported to OSHA within 8 hours if it involved a covered process
Correct answer: Investigated and documented as thoroughly as actual incidents to prevent future accidents
PSM requires incident investigation of near misses (events that could have caused catastrophic releases) because they represent opportunities to identify and correct hazards before actual injuries or releases occur.
Question 5: The Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) under SARA Section 313 requires reporting of:
- All hazardous chemical spills regardless of quantity
- Annual environmental releases and transfers of listed toxic chemicals above reporting thresholds (Correct answer)
- Quarterly inventory reports of all OSHA-regulated substances
- Emergency releases that require community notification within 24 hours
Correct answer: Annual environmental releases and transfers of listed toxic chemicals above reporting thresholds
TRI (EPA Form R) requires annual reporting of releases and off-site transfers of ~770 listed toxic chemicals by facilities meeting employee count, industry sector, and quantity use thresholds.
Question 6: Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) Registry Numbers uniquely identify chemical substances and are assigned by:
- EPA as part of TSCA chemical inventory management
- OSHA for hazard communication labeling requirements
- The American Chemical Society's CAS division (Correct answer)
- IUPAC for international nomenclature standardization
Correct answer: The American Chemical Society's CAS division
CAS Registry Numbers are assigned by Chemical Abstracts Service, a division of the American Chemical Society, and serve as the universal unique identifier for chemical substances worldwide.
