ASP / CSP Preparation

Domain 7
Environmental Management

Self Exam 01
Correct answer: The worker might place themselves between the
contaminant and the exhaust stream
Canopy hoods are used where hot gases and vapors are encountered,
and workers do not work directly over the source of emissions. The
major drawback to using canopy hoods is the potential for workers to
place themselves between the contaminant and the exhaust stream.
The other risks are not unique to canopy hoods and could occur with any
type of hood.
Correct answer: Reliability of geological sites to seal the waste
adequately
Conventional landfills are a form of waste disposal involving burial. They
have a high potential for leaching materials to the surface such as runoff,
lateral leaching into the surrounding ground, leaching into deeper soil,
and contaminating aquifers. Operating standards today require the daily
covering of waste to prevent air pollution and scattering of materials
from wind and animals. Today's standards also help prevent leaching.
Deep-well injection is another, unconventional, form of disposal, where
pumps move liquid wastes through pipes deep into the earth into porous
rock formations. These wells are deep underground, below useful water
sources. A concern of deep-well injection is the reliability of geological
sites to seal the waste adequately.
Correct answer: Offset
The hierarchy of conservation involves the following steps in
decreasing preference:
1.Avoid
2.Minimize
3.Rectify
4.Reduce
5.Offset
The lowest level of preference is to offset any damage, as restoring and
protecting a habitat offsite is expensive and difficult to do versus
avoiding the damage in the beginning.
Correct answer: Tanks of 150 gallons or less capacity
A UST system is a tank and any underground piping connected to the tank
that has at least 10% of its combined volume underground. Some USTs are
excluded from regulations and do not need to meet federal requirements
for USTs. These include flow-through process tanks, emergency spill tanks,
and tanks on or above the floor of underground areas such as
basements or tunnels.
Tanks of 110 gallons (not 150 gallons) or less capacity are also
excluded from UST regulations.
Correct answer: Cleaning spills when they occur
Mercury can cause peripheral neuropathy and neuropsychiatric
disorders after chronic exposure. Inhalation of elemental mercury
vapor is the most common exposure route, leading to occupational
mercury poisoning. The key to preventing chronic mercury
poisoning is to reduce spills and clean ones that do occur.
Improving personal protective equipment and training on
mercury's side effects are not as effective at preventing mercury
poisoning as knowing how to clean mercury spills when they do
occur. Tracking mercury usage will help workers understand the
effects, but it is not a preventive measure.
Correct answer: Remove contaminants that have accumulated on
equipment
The purpose of site control is to minimize potential pollution by
workers, protect the public from the site’s hazards, and prevent
vandalism. Site control is especially important in emergency situations,
such as overturned tractor-trailers transporting hazardous materials or
waste.
Removal of contaminants that have accumulated on equipment is part
of decontamination, not site control.
Correct answer: ISO 14000
The ISO 14000 family of standards covers environmental
management.
ISO 9000 covers quality, 31000 covers risk management, and 45000
covers health and safety.
Correct answer: Solid waste
Solid waste means any garbage or refuse; sludge from a wastewater
treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control
facility; and other discarded materials, including solid, liquid, semi-
solid, or contained gaseous material resulting from industrial,
commercial, mining, and agricultural operations, as well as from
community activities.
Solid waste includes both hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
Universal waste includes batteries, thermostats, and agricultural
pesticides. Chemical waste is a vague term that refers to chemicals,
which are not all garbage and refuse.
Correct answer: Disposal of solid and hazardous waste
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, commonly referred to as
RCRA, is our nation’s primary law governing the disposal of solid and
hazardous waste. Congress passed RCRA to address the increasing
problems the nation faces from our growing volume of municipal and
industrial waste. RCRA sets national goals for protecting human health
and the environment from the potential hazards of waste disposal,
conserving energy and natural resources, reducing the amount of waste
generated, and ensuring that waste is managed in an environmentally
sound manner.
RCRA applies only to environmental regulations. It does not apply to
emotional stress, illness, or injury from chemicals in the workplace.
Correct answer: Gather information away from the site
Site characterization provides the information needed to identify site
hazards and select worker protection methods. The more accurate,
detailed, and comprehensive the information available about the site, the
more protective measures can be tailored to the actual hazards that
workers may encounter. The first phase—off-site characterization—occurs
prior to site entry. During this phase, the worker has to gather information
away from the site and conduct reconnaissance from the site perimeter.
The remaining answer options pertain to the second and third phases of
site characterization. During the second phase, workers should conduct on-
site surveys and restrict site entry to reconnaissance personnel. During the
third and final phase, once the site has been determined to be safe for the
commencement of other activities, workers should perform ongoing
monitoring to provide a continuous source of information about site
conditions.
Correct answer: Flanged and plain
One of the parts of a local exhaust ventilation system is the hood,
which is necessary to capture the contaminant at the source of
release. Openings can be either flanged or plain.
Flanged openings have some type of “lip” on them and are sometimes
designed to create a certain desired airflow. Plain openings do not
have a flange; therefore, air moves directly into the duct.
Correct answer: 10
The ISO 14000 has 10 clauses that describe the international
standard for environmental management systems. The ISO 14000
helps organizations minimize environmental impacts from their
operations and meet legal and other environmental
requirements.
Correct answer: Fires
Overpressurization can occur as a result of an increase in the
ambient temperature surrounding a container or from other
systematic failures. An increase in temperature will result in an
increase in pressure.
The results of overpressurization can be catastrophic, such as fires
and explosions.
Correct answer: Six years

The radioactivity will be reduced by 50% each year.

An easy solution for these types of problems is to create a table that

shows each half-life reduction.

Year 50% Reduction in Radioactivity

1 3200 x 0.5 = 1,600
2 1,600 x 0.5 = 800
3 800 x 0.5 = 400
4 400 x 0.5 = 200
5 200 x 0.5 = 100
6 100 x 0.5 = 50
Correct answer: Lockjaw
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease that affects humans and animals. It
is caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. In humans, it causes a
wide range of symptoms, and some infected persons may have no
symptoms at all. Symptoms of leptospirosis include a high fever,
severe headaches, chills, muscle aches, and vomiting, as well as
jaundice (yellow skin and eyes), red eyes, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or
a rash.
Lockjaw is a symptom of tetanus, not of leptospirosis.
Correct answer: Pesticides
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 provides the EPA with
the authority to require reporting, record-keeping, and testing
requirements and restrictions relating to chemical substances or
mixtures.
Certain substances are generally excluded from the TSCA, including
food, drugs, cosmetics, and pesticides. The TSCA does address the
production, import, use, and disposal of specific chemicals, including
polychlorinated biphenyls, asbestos, radon, and lead-based paint.
Correct answer: Businesses that generate less than 100 kg of universal
waste per month
The universal waste rule is designed to reduce hazardous waste items in
the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream, encourage recycling and proper
disposal of certain common hazardous wastes, and reduce the regulatory
burden on businesses that generate these wastes. The universal waste
rule does not apply to businesses (e.g., many agricultural establishments
and other agribusinesses) that generate less than 100 kg of universal
waste per month (i.e., very-small-quantity generators or VSQGs). The EPA
encourages these businesses to participate voluntarily in collection and
recycling programs by bringing their waste to collection centers for proper
treatment and disposal.
The universal waste rule does apply to businesses that use batteries,
agricultural pesticides that have been recalled or banned, and
thermostats (which contain mercury). Even if a business agrees to recycle
some of its materials, it may still be subject to the universal waste rule.
Correct answer: Sampling techniques
A medical program should be developed for each hazardous waste site
on the basis of the specific needs, location, and potential exposures of
employees at the site. A site's medical program should include
surveillance, treatment, record keeping, and program review.
Safe sampling techniques should be taught as part of the employee
training program.
Correct answer: Corrosion usually occurs on covered surfaces
Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent
atoms, owing to chemical reactions with its surroundings. This means the
electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an oxidant such as
oxygen. The formation of an oxide of iron caused by the oxidation of the iron
atoms in a solid solution is a well-known example of electrochemical
corrosion, commonly known as rusting. This type of damage typically
produces oxides or salts of the original metal. In other words, corrosion is
the wearing away of metals because of a chemical reaction.
Corrosion can be concentrated locally to form a pit or crack, or it can extend
across a wide area, more or less uniformly, corroding the surface. Because
corrosion is a diffusion-controlled process, it occurs on exposed (not
covered) surfaces.
Correct answer: Rotating vane anemometer
Rotating vane anemometers are used to measure airflow through large
supply and exhaust systems. The size of the rotating vane anemometer
should not exceed 5% of the cross-sectional area of the duct.
Thermal anemometers are primarily digital instruments that measure
the heat removed by an air stream as it passes over a probe, which
allows for calibration of the velocity of the airstream at a given
density. Pitot tubes are probes inserted into the duct system and
connected, and they are used to measure various pressures within the
system. Canopy hoods are parts of local exhaust ventilation systems
rather than measurement tools.
Correct answer: Open dumping of waste
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (commonly referred to as
RCRA) is our nation’s primary law governing the disposal of solid and
hazardous waste. Congress passed RCRA on October 21, 1976, to
address the increasing problems the nation faced from our growing
volume of municipal and industrial waste. RCRA banned all open
dumping of waste, encouraged source reduction and recycling, and
promoted the safe disposal of municipal waste.
Hazardous materials are essential to the operation of many small and
large businesses and were not banned by the RCRA.
Correct answer: Any discarded material abandoned by being disposed
of, burned or incinerated, or recycled
Solid waste is defined as any discarded material abandoned by being
disposed of, burned or incinerated, recycled, or considered “waste-
like.” Solid waste can physically be a solid, liquid, semi-solid, or
container of gaseous material.
Solid waste does not necessarily need to be in a landfill to be
considered waste.
Correct answer: Universal waste
The universal waste rule is designed to reduce hazardous waste items in
the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream, encourage recycling and proper
disposal of certain common hazardous wastes, and reduce the regulatory
burden on businesses that generate these wastes. Universal wastes
include batteries, agricultural pesticides that have been recalled or
banned, and thermostats, which can contain as much as 3 g of liquid
mercury.
Solid waste, also called hazardous waste, refers to any garbage or refuse;
sludge from a wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment
plant, or air pollution control facility; and other discarded materials.
Chemical waste is a non-specific term that is not used when referring to
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulatory
requirements.
Correct answer: Rapid growth in the number of vehicles and miles
driven
While motor vehicles built today emit fewer pollutants (60%–80% less,
depending on the pollutant) than those built in the 1960s, cars and
trucks still account for almost half the emissions of the ozone
precursors VOCs and NOx and up to 90% of the CO emissions in urban
areas. The principal reason for this problem is the rapid growth in the
number of vehicles on the roadways and the total miles driven. This
growth has offset a large portion of the emission reductions gained
from motor vehicle controls.
Carbon monoxide emissions today are no more potent than they were
50 years ago, and urban areas do not "filter emissions." Some
pollutants may be more common near streams and lakes, but this does
not explain the increased emissions in urban areas.
Correct answer: Carbon dioxide
Water-sensitive chemicals react vigorously with moisture. This
reaction can result in extreme heat and can be potentially flammable,
corrosive, toxic, or reactive.
The most common water-sensitive chemicals include sodium,
potassium, lithium metal, and aluminum alkyl. Carbon dioxide is not a
water-reactive chemical.
Correct answer: Authorized the EPA to establish National Ambient Air
Quality Standards
The Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970 authorized the EPA to establish
National Ambient Air Quality Standards. This was already in place
before the CAA of 1990.
Among many other things, the Clean Air Act of 1990 established a
permit program, created tighter pollution standards for automobiles
and trucks, called for a reduction of nitrogen oxides, and established a
Chemical Safety Board to investigate accidental releases of chemicals.
Correct answer: The Council on Environmental Quality
NEPA established national environmental policies and goals for the
protection, maintenance, and enhancement of the environment while
providing a process for such goals within federal agencies. It also
established the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). The duties of
the CEQ include the following:
•Gathering information on conditions and trends in environmental
quality
•Evaluating federal programs based on goals
•Developing and promoting national policies
•Conducting studies and research relating to environmental quality
and ecosystems
Correct answer: Agricultural air pollution
The Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1990 was designed to curb three major
threats to the nation’s environment and to the health of millions of
Americans: acid rain, urban air pollution, and toxic air emissions. The
proposal also called for establishing a national permits program to
make the law more workable, as well as an improved enforcement
program to help ensure better compliance with the act.
While there are some programs to reduce air pollution resulting from
agricultural operations, the CAA of 1990 did not address this.
CorrectAnswer: Reuse universal waste such as pesticides and batteries
The universal waste rule is designed to reduce hazardous waste items
in the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream, encourage recycling and
proper disposal of certain common hazardous wastes, and reduce the
regulatory burden on businesses that generate these wastes.
Universal waste includes batteries, agricultural pesticides,
and thermostats; the universal waste rule does not aim to reuse
these materials.
Correct answer: Large-quantity generator
There are three categories of hazardous waste generators classified by
the EPA:
•Large-quantity generator: generation rate of >1,000 kg per calendar
month
•Small-quantity generator: generation rate of >100 kg per calendar
month
•Very-small-quantity generator: generation rate of ≤100 kg per
calendar month
Correct answer: FIFRA
The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) is an
environmental regulation that deals with pesticides. It requires a
certificate for specific pesticides and covers the application methods
that are acceptable. The act was originally passed to promote pesticide
efficacy issues, but the focus has shifted to greater control of the risks
associated with pesticides and environmental degradation from
improper use.
Many pesticides exist that are not "restricted" according to the
regulation, and no specific credential or certificate is necessary for
those.
Correct answer: Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Rocky Mountain spotted fever is the most severe tick-borne rickettsial
illness in the United States. Occupations at greatest risk include military
personnel, foresters, rangers, ranchers, farmers, trappers, construction
workers, and lumber workers. The American dog tick and Rocky
Mountain wood tick are the primary transmitters of Rocky Mountain
spotted fever in the United States.
Hepatitis A is transmitted through person-to-person contact through the
fecal-oral route. Sore mouth disease is transmitted through contact with
infected animals or equipment. The rabies virus is primarily transmitted
by raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes.
Correct answer: Avoid
The hierarchy of conservation involves five steps:
1.Avoid
2.Minimize
3.Rectify
4.Reduce
5.Offset
The numbers 1-5 reflect a decreasing preference for conservation.
The highest level of preference is avoiding damage.
Correct answer: Contact with an infected animal or equipment
Sore mouth disease is caused by poxvirus (specifically, the Orf virus) all
over the world. The scabs of infected animals contain the virus; these
can fall off, remain in the environment, and serve as a source of
infection to susceptible animals. People can become infected with the
virus, which causes a sore mouth. A person who comes into contact
with the virus from an infected animal or equipment can potentially get
infected.
Hepatitis A and B are spread through unprotected sex, and hepatitis B is
also spread through illegal drug use. Hepatitis A outbreaks often occur
when HAV-contaminated foods (e.g., meat) are consumed.
Correct answer: Slip, trip, and fall
Engulfment results when a worker is surrounded and overcome by a
granular substance (e.g., soil, sand, gravel, sawdust, seed, grain, or flour)
or submerged in a liquid such as water or a chemical. Engulfment causes
physical harm when the material has enough force on the body to cause
injury or death by constriction, crushing, or strangulation. Respiratory
hazards associated with engulfment include suffocation from breathing
in a fine substance that fills the lungs or from drowning in a liquid.
The risk of engulfment can be minimized by strictly adhering to
OSHA's confined space requirements and by controlling hazardous
energy requirements when working in confined spaces. Burns are more
likely to occur with overpressurization rather than engulfment.
Correct answer: Incidence rate
If new cases are being indicated, "incidence rate" is the proper term.
If you are measuring a different clinical endpoint (e.g., death,
contagion), then other terms could be appropriate (see OSHA Safety
and Health Topics Occupational Epidemiology).
Correct answer: Ozone
The most widespread and persistent urban pollution problem is ozone.
The causes are largely attributed to the diversity and number of urban air
pollution sources. One component of urban smog—hydrocarbons—
comes from automobile emissions, petroleum refineries, chemical plants,
dry cleaners, gasoline stations, house painting, and printing shops.
Another key component—nitrogen oxides—comes from the combustion
of fuel for transportation, utilities, and industry.
While noise, acid rain, and solid waste and refuse are major problems in
urban areas, ozone is more widespread and persistent.
Correct answer: To inform communities about hazardous materials and
emergency response
The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)
established the requirement to inform communities about hazardous
materials. It also authorized states to pass laws requiring emergency
planning for potentially hazardous-material-release events.
Correct answer: 2015
The ISO 14000 was last updated in 2015 by the International
Organization for Standardization. The update required companies
with the previous version to upgrade within 3 years. The previous
version was in 2004.
Correct answer: Stressed the importance of permanent remedies and
innovative treatment technologies in cleaning hazardous waste sites
The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act (CERCLA), commonly known as Superfund, was enacted by Congress
in 1980. This law created a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries
and provided broad federal authority to respond directly to releases or
threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public
health or the environment.
CERCLA established prohibitions and requirements concerning closed and
abandoned hazardous waste sites, provided for the liability of persons
responsible for the release of hazardous waste at these sites, and
established a trust fund to provide for cleanup when no responsible party
could be identified.
The Superfund Amendment and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986
stressed the importance of permanent remedies and innovative treatment
technologies in cleaning up hazardous waste sites, among other things.
Correct answer: Water, salt, and heat
When an equivalent of acid is mixed with a base, water and salt are
formed. There is also a change in energy (enthalpy of neutralization).
Because these reactions are exothermic, there is a release of heat.
The acid/base combination will determine which salt is developed.
Salt, in this sense, means an ionic compound—not table salt.
Correct answer: Need for action
The EA is used to determine whether a federal undertaking would
significantly affect the environment. An Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) is prepared when the EA determines a significant
impact. The EA includes the following:
•Need for the proposal
•Alternatives
•Environmental impacts of the proposed actions
•List of agencies and persons consulted
The EIS specifically includes the need for action and purpose.
Correct answer: Plague
Plague is an infectious disease of animals and humans caused by a
bacterium named Yersinia pestis. Preventive measures are directed to
home, work, and recreational settings where the risk of acquiring
plague is high. A combined approach includes environmental
sanitation, educating the public on ways to prevent plague exposure,
and preventive antibiotic therapy.
Tuberculosis, cat scratch fever, and hepatitis A infection do
not respond to environmental sanitation, as they are spread from
person to person or from animal to person.
Correct answer: 90 days
A generator is any person who produces hazardous waste as listed or characterized in part 261 of title 40 of
the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). Recognizing that generators produce waste in different quantities,
the EPA established three categories of generators in the regulations:
•Very-small-quantity generator
•Small-quantity generator
•Large-quantity generator
The volume of hazardous waste each generator produces in a calendar month determines which
regulations apply to that generator.
Very-small-quantity Generators (VSQGs) generate 100 kilograms or less per month of hazardous waste, or
one kilogram or less per month of acutely hazardous waste.
•VSQGs must identify all the hazardous waste generated.
•VSQGs may not accumulate more than 1,000 kilograms of hazardous waste at any time.
Small-quantity generators (SQGs) generate more than 100 kilograms but less than 1,000 kilograms of
hazardous waste per month.
•SQGs may accumulate hazardous waste on-site for 180 days without a permit (or 270 days if shipping a
distance greater than 200 miles).
•The quantity of hazardous on-site waste must never exceed 6,000 kilograms.
Large-quantity generators (LQGs) generate 1,000 kilograms or more per month of hazardous waste or more
than one kilogram per month of acutely hazardous waste.
•LQGs may only accumulate waste on-site for 90 days; certain exceptions apply.
•LQGs do not have a limit on the amount of hazardous waste accumulated on-site.
Correct answer: Any synthetic or refined oil that has been used and is
contaminated by physical or chemical impurities
The EPA’s regulatory definition of used oil is any oil (either synthetic or
refined from crude oil) that has been used and—as a result of such use—
is contaminated by physical or chemical impurities. In simple terms, used
oil is any petroleum-based or synthetic oil that has been used. During
normal use, impurities such as dirt, metal scrapings, water, or chemicals
can get mixed in with the oil; in time, the oil no longer performs well.
Eventually, this used oil must be replaced with virgin or re-refined oil to
do the job.
Used oil, according to the EPA, can be either synthetic or
refined from crude oil. However, animal and vegetable oil are excluded
from the EPA's definition of used oil.
Correct answer: EPA
The objective of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide
Act (FIFRA) is to provide federal control of pesticide distribution, sale,
and use. All pesticides used in the United States must be registered
(licensed) by the EPA. The FIFRA provides the EPA with the authority
to oversee the sale and use of pesticides.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the United
States Congress, and the executive branch of
the federal government currently have no power to
oversee the sale and use of pesticides.
Correct answer: Without water
Anhydrous is an adjective meaning "containing no water." The term
"anhydrous ammonia," commonly used in refrigeration systems, is
important because it indicates that no water (and thus no freezing) is
present.
Correct answer: The RCRA focuses on active and future facilities, while
Superfund focuses on historical and abandoned sites
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) banned all open
dumping of waste, encouraged source reduction and recycling, and
promoted the safe disposal of municipal waste.
The RCRA focuses only on active and future facilities and does not
address abandoned or historical sites managed under the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability
Act—commonly known as Superfund.
Correct answer: Corrosion
Corrosion is the disintegration of an engineered material into its constituent
atoms, owing to chemical reactions with its surroundings. In the most common
use of the word, this means electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction
with an oxidant such as oxygen. The formation of an oxide of iron caused by
the oxidation of the iron atoms in a solid solution is a well-known example of
electrochemical corrosion, commonly known as rusting. This type of damage
typically produces oxides or salts of the original metal.
Explosions tend to result from activities, such as moving drums, accidentally
mixing incompatible chemicals, or introducing an ignition source into an
explosive or flammable environment. Thermal decomposition refers to the
byproducts of incomplete combustion such as carbon monoxide
gases. Overpressurization can occur from an increase in the ambient
temperature surrounding a container or from other systematic failures.
Correct answer: Gap audit
A gap audit is not an official audit associated with ISO 14000.
An internal audit is a requirement of ISO 14001. A surveillance audit
is conducted bi-annually by the certification company. A certification
audit is conducted for initial certification or every 3 years as re-
certification.