Which statement best describes the RCRA reactivity characteristic?

Which statement best describes the RCRA reactivity characteristic?

• A. Waste that ignites easily
• B. Waste that is nonhazardous
• C. A waste that can violently react
• D. Waste that dissolves in water

Answer: (C)

Reactivity is about chemical instability and the potential for a waste to undergo violent change under normal storage or shipping conditions. A reactive waste may explode, violently decompose, or generate toxic gases, sometimes when heated, compressed, or mixed with water or other wastes. That idea fits the statement that a waste can violently react, which is exactly what the reactivity characteristic is concerned with (the D003 category). The other options describe different properties: ignitability refers to catching fire easily, nonhazardous means it isn’t a hazardous waste, and dissolving in water describes solubility, not reactivity.

Reactivity is about chemical instability and the potential for a waste to undergo violent change under normal storage or shipping conditions. A reactive waste may explode, violently decompose, or generate toxic gases, sometimes when heated, compressed, or mixed with water or other wastes.

That idea fits the statement that a waste can violently react, which is exactly what the reactivity characteristic is concerned with (the D003 category). The other options describe different properties: ignitability refers to catching fire easily, nonhazardous means it isn’t a hazardous waste, and dissolving in water describes solubility, not reactivity.