ABSTRACT
Waste Extraction tests are utilized to classify a waste as being either hazardous or non-hazardous. The classification depends upon the amount of inorganic and/or organic chemicals that can be extracted from the waste by an acidic extradant solution containing an organic ligand. The scientific literature reveals that soils react with inorganic and organic chemicals. For example, metals can be immobilized in soils via several soil-chemical reaction pathways. Fixation reactions are the chemical reactions that occur in soil to remove an element from migrating water and transform the element in an unavailable or unleachable form. The EP-Tox, Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure, and Waste Extraction Test must not be utilized to determine the mobility and degradation potential of any chemical in a soil system. These test methods can be used only for the classification of hazardous waste produced by waste generators for handling and/or disposal.
