Hazardous wastes may be liquids, solids, or sludges that are typically byproducts of manufacturing processes, or simply commercial products, such as household cleaning fluids or battery acid, that must be discarded. Regardless of their form, however, proper management and disposal of hazardous wastes are essential to minimizing their impact on the receiving environment.

According to USEPA regulations, hazardous waste is defined as those substances that fail the characteristic tests of ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, and/or toxicity. USEPA regulations require that all waste generators evaluate their wastes to determine if any of the four hazardous characteristics are exhibited. Wastes exhibiting these characteristics are subject to USEPA's hazardous waste regulations. Toxicity to aquatic life, specifically fish, is one of the criteria used to gauge the hazardous potential of a waste, and reflects the biological impacts from waste components that are soluble in water. Nautilus has extensive experience performing this testing on a wide variety of sample types. Our toxicology staff is thoroughly familiar with Title 22 (California) and the WDOE 80-12 (Washington) hazardous waste characterization protocols.

Species Used:

• Fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas)
• Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)