Deck 19: Environmental Regulations: Hazardous Substances and Wastes

Question 1

When the Comprehensive Environmental Response,Compensation,and Liability Act (CERCLA)several additional laws were passed to fix problems that arose as a result of enforcing CERCLA.Which of the following statements is correct?

A)The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)protected those who purchased land from becoming responsible for unknown hazardous waste sites if they use proper methods of evaluating the property.
B)The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (SBLRBRA)allowed certain abandoned hazardous waste sites to be developed for a useful purpose.
C)Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA)established the innocent landowner defense.
D)All of these statements are correct.
E)None of these statements is correct.

Answer 1

All of these statements are correct.

Question 2

Which of the following common human activities results in the release of a hazardous waste into the environment?

A)Using a spray can of oil-based paint and then disposing of the empty can as described on the can.
B)Dumping used cooking oil in the toilet.
C)Storing labeled containers of pesticides in their original containers.
D)All of these activities result in the release of hazardous waste.
E)None of these activities result in the release of hazardous waste.

Answer 2

Using a spray can of oil-based paint and then disposing of the empty can as described on the can.

Question 3

All of the following are criteria used by the U.S.Department of Transportation to determine if it is a hazardous material EXCEPT

A)any gases.
B)any flammable materials.
C)any liquid materials.
D)any poisonous or toxic materials.
E)any explosive materials.

Answer 3

any liquid materials.

Question 4

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

A)requires that industries report the amount of hazardous waste they produce.
B)requires industries to clean up existing hazardous waste sites.
C)covers all kinds of hazardous waste.
D)All of these statements are correct.
E)None of these statements is correct.

Question 5

Activities to limit the production of hazardous waste involve all of the activities EXCEPT:

A)selling waste oil to a company that burns it for heat.
B)educating employees about how to correctly label and store hazardous materials and hazardous waste.
C)paying a company to haul your waste to a landfill.
D)allowing bacteria to break down organic waste in a pond.

Question 6

The two most common methods to dispose of hazardous waste are

A)burning in an incineration and pumping them into deep well.
B)source reduction and incineration.
C)recycling and incineration.
D)recycling and land disposal.

Question 7

Which of the following federal laws deals with the clean-up of hazardous waste sites?

A)Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
B)Comprehensive Environmental Response,Compensation,and Liability Act (CERCLA)
C)Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (HMTA)
D)Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA)

Question 8

Which of the following is involved in protecting the public from dangerous substances?

A)determination of acute and chronic toxicity of substances
B)identification of toxic and hazardous substances
C)setting exposure limits to toxic and hazardous substances
D)All of these statements are correct.

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of a persistent pollutant?

A)Carbon monoxide that breaks down after reacting with oxygen.
B)DDT which is found in soil years after its use but is eventually destroyed by soil bacteria.
C)Organophosphate insecticides that kill insects for several days but do not bioaccumulate in food chains.
D)Bacteria in treated sewage sludge that is spread on fields.
E)None of these is an example of a persistent pollutant.

Question 10

All of the following are objectives of the Comprehensive Environmental Response,Compensation,and Liability Act (CERCLA)EXCEPT

A)making those responsible for contaminated hazardous waste sites pay for cleanups whenever possible.
B)establishing a fund to pay for the cleanup of abandoned hazardous waste sites.
C)requiring that the production,transport,and disposal of hazardous waste be documented.
D)setting priorities for cleaning up hazardous waste sites.

Question 11

When a company needs to reduce its production of hazardous waste,the pollution-prevention hierarchy strategy would encourage which of the following to be done FIRST?

A)Use the waste produced for another function.
B)Treat waste so that the volume is reduced.
C)Reduce the amount of waste produced at the manufacturing site.
D)Dispose of hazardous wastes in an environmentally safe manner.

Question 12

Acute toxicity differs from chronic toxicity in which of the following ways?

A)Acute toxicity can occur with a single exposure.Chronic toxicity requires repeated exposures.
B)Acute toxicity results in death.Chronic toxicity results in serious illness.
C)Acute toxicity has a low LD₅₀.Chronic toxicity has a high LD₅₀.
D)All of these statements are correct.
E)None of these statements is correct.

Question 13

The Basel Convention is an international agreement that

A)prohibits exports of hazardous waste to Antarctica.
B)prohibits export of hazardous waste to a country unless the country agrees to accept the shipment.
C)is used to prohibit the export of electronic waste to countries without their consent.
D)All of these statements are correct.
E)None of these statements are correct.

Question 14

The Comprehensive Environmental Response,Compensation,and Liability Act (CERCLA)is also known as

A)the Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA).
B)the Conservation Act.
C)superfund legislation.
D)the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

Question 15

Which of the following terms describes the tendency of a substance to explode?

A)reactivity
B)ignitability
C)corrosiveness
D)toxicity

Question 16

Which of the following statements about hazardous materials and toxic materials is correct?

A)All hazardous materials are toxic.
B)All toxic materials are hazardous.
C)Hazardous materials and toxic materials the same.
D)Only toxic materials can be hazardous.

Question 17

We deal with toxic substances every day.All of the following are methods used to limit risk from exposure to toxic substances EXCEPT

A)subjecting test animals to a substance to see if they become ill or die.
B)prohibiting the use of toxic substances by the public.
C)setting limits to the amount of exposure a person is allowed to receive in the workplace.
D)establishing a level (threshold level)below which exposed test animals show no reaction.

Question 18

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)

A)places limits on the amount of hazardous waste a company can produce.
B)requires those who transport hazardous waste to document their shipments.
C)has resulted in about a 90 percent reduction in the amount of hazardous waste produced.
D)All of these statements are correct.
E)None of these statements is correct.

Question 19

The Comprehensive Environmental Response,Compensation,and Liability Act (CERCLA)was enacted in 1980.All of the following actions are a result of the implementation of the (CERCLA)EXCEPT

A)the development of a National Priorities List.
B)a great deal of money was spent on law suits.
C)in cases where several companies contributed to a hazardous waste site,one of the companies could be required to pay for the entire cleanup.
D)by 2016 nearly all of the sites on the national priorities list had been cleaned up.

Question 20

Which industry releases the most toxic substances into the environment?

A)oil and gas
B)metal mining
C)chemical
D)farming

Question 21

Currently spent nuclear fuel is temporarily stored on site at the nuclear power plant where the spent fuel was produced.By law the U.S.government is required to provide a permanent storage solution.Which of the following statements about this ongoing issue is correct?

A)A U.S.government commission determined that the best solution is to place spent nuclear fuel in secure underground storage.
B)Nuclear power plants are running out of space to store spent nuclear fuel.
C)The state of Nevada has declined to house the disposal site for spent nuclear fuel.
D)All of these statements are correct.
E)None of these statements are correct.

Question 22

Which of the following is a type of treatment of hazardous waste?

A)storage in underground caverns and salt mines
B)deep-well injection in porous geological formations
C)treatment of wastewater in a sewage treatment plant
D)All of these statements are correct.

Question 23

There are several kinds of nuclear waste that require specific kinds of disposal.Which of the following statements is correct?

A)Low-level radioactive waste must be stored in the state where it was produced.
B)Certain kinds of waste (transuranic waste)are stored in the waste isolation pilot plant in New Mexico.
C)High-level nuclear waste must be stored underground.
D)None of these statements is correct.

Question 24

Which of the following best matches the description?
Materials that require special containers like acids and bases.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 25

Which of the following best matches the description?
Property of materials which can cause danger to human health or the environment.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 26

Which of the following best matches the description?
A serious effect that occurs after prolonged exposure to small doses of a toxin.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 27

Which of the following best matches the description?
Interaction of materials that increases the potential for harm.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 28

Which of the following best matches the description?
Common name for CERCLA,which was designed to address hazardous waste sites.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 29

Which of the following best matches the description?
Minimum amount of something required to cause measurable effects.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 30

Which of the following is NOT part of the pollution prevention hierarchy?

A)treatment to reduce hazard and volume
B)source reduction
C)venting gases to the outside of buildings.
D)recycling

Question 31

Which of the following best matches the description?
Characteristic of materials that easily begin to burn.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 32

Which of the following best matches the description?
Listing of hazardous-waste dump sites requiring urgent attention.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 33

Which of the following best matches the description?
Degree to which material is likely to react vigorously to water or air.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 34

Which of the following best matches the description?
A serious effect that occurs shortly after exposure to a hazardous substance.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 35

Which of the following best matches the description?
The 1976 law that specifically addressed the issue of hazardous waste.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 36

All of the following are significant sources of nuclear waste contamination EXCEPT

A)storage sites at nuclear power plants
B)uranium mining waste
C)processes used to produce nuclear weapons
D)accidents at nuclear power plants

Question 37

The U.S.Department of Energy is responsible for cleaning up nuclear waste sites produced as a result of nuclear research programs and programs associated with the production of nuclear weapons.Which of the following statements is correct?

A)There are no disposal sites for the waste.
B)Most of the 100 original sites are still have cleanup in progress.
C)Yucca Mountain in Nevada is accepting much of the waste.
D)Most of the 100 original sites have been cleaned up.

Question 38

Which of the following best matches the description?
Manufacturing process that would reduce the waste produced.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 39

Which of the following best matches the description?
The 1980 law that addressed the issue of cleanup of hazardous waste sites.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 40

All of the following statements about lead poisoning are correct EXCEPT

A)Lead poisoning is an example of acute toxicity.
B)Lead poisoning has resulted in regulations to prevent exposure.
C)Lead poisoning is the result of a persistent pollutant.
D)Lead poisoning is an example of chronic toxicity.

Question 41

Although some materials may be harmless as a separate compound,they may become highly toxic once mixed with another compound.

Question 42

The Superfund law was passed in 1980 to bring about cleanup of abandoned toxic waste sites.

Question 43

Superfund is also known as RCRA.

Question 44

ASTM International is similar to ISO since it is a voluntary standard setting organization.

Question 45

Biodegradation is the process of using microorganisms to convert hazardous chemicals into innocuous substances.

Question 46

The chief problem with the international trade of hazardous waste is the lack of administrative and technological resources to dispose of the waste properly in less-developed nations.

Question 47

Source reduction is the preferred "last resort" for pollution prevention.

Question 48

ISO 14000 Environmental Management Systems are completely voluntary.

Question 49

The federal government is the principal participant in the cleanup of abandoned hazardous-waste sites.

Question 50

An example of synergism is the toxic effects felt by a uranium miner who also smokes tobacco.

Question 51

The political disintegration of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe has made large numbers of nuclear weapons unnecessary.

Question 52

Which of the following best matches the description?
Substances that endanger life if encountered.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 53

The Hanford plutonium and uranium production facility

A)was crucial for developing nuclear weapons for World War I.
B)has nearly been cleaned up.
C)includes groundwater contamination,and poorly stored nuclear waste.
D)has shipped all of its radioactive waste to the waste isolation pilot plant in New Mexico.

Question 54

Polychlorinated biphenyls are toxic but will not burn,explode,or corrode other materials.

Question 55

Which of the following best matches the description?
Measure of toxicity or the dosage that will kill 50% of a tested population.

A)Superfund
B)synergism
C)CERCLA
D)acute toxicity
E)LD₅₀
F)RCRA
G)National Priority List
H)threshold levels
I)Superfund.
J)chronic toxicity
K)corrosiveness
L)ignitability
M)reactivity
N)waste minimization
O)toxicity
P)hazardous wastes

Question 56

Nearly all substances are toxic at some level of concentration or in sufficiently high doses.

Question 57

The Superfund was intended to identify and clean-up hazardous waste sites throughout the world.

Question 58

One massive dose of a toxic substance is chronic toxicity while exposure to several small doses is acute toxicity.

Question 59

The two most common methods of hazardous waste disposal used today are land disposal and incineration.

Question 60

Reactivity describes materials that pose a fire hazard during routine management.

Question 61

Uranium mining and milling can result in waste that contains gamma radiation.

Question 62

A common method of dealing with the radioactive waste at uranium mining and milling sites is to

A)cover the waste with soil.
B)put a fence around the site.
C)put up warning signs.
D)All of these statements are correct.
E)None of these statements is correct.

Question 63

Low-level radioactive waste results from spent fuel rods.

Question 64

The two viable solutions to the management of spent nuclear fuel are underground deposit or reprocessing of fuel rods.Which of the following statements concerning these two options is correct?

A)Several European countries have already constructed underground storage for spent nuclear fuel.
B)Several countries in Europe and Asia have reprocessing plants that deal with spent nuclear fuel.
C)The United States is the only country that has not dealt with the problem of spent nuclear fuel disposal.
D)None of these statements is correct.

Question 65

Most experts feel that the best solution for permanent disposal of high-level nuclear waste is to bury it in a stable geologic formation.

Question 66

The nuclear power industry has had little trouble disposing of high-level nuclear waste due to recent technology.

Question 67

Which of the following would be considered low-level radioactive waste?

A)waste from the decommissioning of nuclear power plants
B)clothing worn by those who work in nuclear industries
C)transuranic nuclear waste
D)None of these statements is correct.