United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(OS-305)
EPA/530- F-93-003
June 1993
Office of Solid Waste
&EPA Environmental
Fact Sheet
Background
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) creates a
comprehensive program for the safe management of solid waste.
Among the elements of this program are criteria for identifying and
listing hazardous wastes, along with standards for storing, treating and
disposing of those wastes.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first published the
guidance document SW-846, Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste,
Physical/Chemical Methods, to support RCRA's associated testing
requirements. The document's methods are intended to promote
accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, precision, and comparability of
analyses and test results. Several of the hazardous waste regulations
under Subtitle C of RCRA require that specific testing methods
described in SW-846 be employed for certain applications. In other
situations, this publication functions as a guidance document, setting
forth acceptable, although not required, methods for use, as
appropriate.
EPA continually reviews advances in analytical instrumentation and
techniques, periodically incorporating them into SW-846 to support
changes in the regulatory program and to improve method
performance. Since the document's inception in 1980, EPA has
published three Editions of the Test Methods manual. Concurrently
with this action, EPA is incorporating the Third Edition of the manual,
along with it's first update, into the RCRA regulations. In situations
where the regulations require the use of appropriate SW-846 methods,
the regulations now specify use of the Third Edition of EPA's SW-846
manual as amended by Update I.
Update to Third Edition of
RCRA Test Methods Document
SW-846 Proposed

-------
Action
This rule, which is the second update to the Third Edition of SW-
846, proposes revisions to several methods in the Third Edition of the
Test Methods manual. In addition, several new methods that allow
more flexibility of method selection are added, and methods for
additional analytes are provided. The number of wastes and
constituents which can be accurately analyzed are increased, providing
greater flexibility to the regulated community in its selection of
analytical methods.
Public Comment
EPA is requesting public comment on this proposed rule.
Comments will be accepted for 60 days following publication in the
Federal Register. The public should submit an original and two copies
of their comments to the RCRA Docket Clerk at the address below.
For More Information
For additional information, or to order a copy of the Federal Register
notice, please call the RCRA Hotline Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.
to 7:30 p.m., EST.
Please send all written requests to:
RCRA Informaton Center (OS-305)
US Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20460
National Toll-Free:
For the Hearing Impaired (TDD):
Washington, D.C. Area:
TDD:
(800) 424-9346
(800) 553-7672
(703) 412-9810
(703) 412-3323

-------