ABSTRACT
Radioactive waste is a special waste because the procurement, use, and disposal of radioactive materials are tightly regulated by the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and are excluded from the federal and state regulations pertaining to the other categories of hazardous waste. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulations define hazardous waste as being either: a listed hazardous waste, or a characteristic hazardous waste. A listed waste is one that appears on the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency list of substances known to have hazardous and/or toxic properties. The terms hazardous waste and toxic waste are sometimes used interchangeably, but RCRA guidelines make a clear distinction between them. A characteristic hazardous waste is deemed to be hazardous because it possesses one or more of the following characteristics: toxicity, reactivity, ignitability, corrosivity, and infectivity. Some hazardous waste substances may be treated for the purpose of eliminating, or at least greatly reducing, their hazardous characteristics.
