TCLP Not Reliable for Evaluation of Potential Public Health and Environmental Hazards of PCBs or Other Chemicals in Wastes: Unreliability of Cement Based Solidification/Stabilization of Wastes

The Toxicity Leaching Characteristic Procedure (TCLP) is used by some to estimate the potential hazard that chemicals in solid wastes represent to public health and the environment. This use is done mechanically without understanding the origin of this procedure and the severe limitations and unreliability of this procedure in estimating public health and environmental hazards of the potentially hazards of chemicals in solid wastes. Also of concern is that Portland cement based solidification/Stabilization of solid wastes is being used based on TCLP testing of the so-called stabilized wastes. The authors have been involved in evaluating the potential hazards of chemicals in soils, sediments and solid wastes for over 40 years. This experience has included extensive studies on the leaching of chemicals in solids as they may impact of public health and the environment. Over the years we have repeatedly observed the misuse the TCLP to characterize the potential leachable chemicals in solids/wastes including cement based “stabilized” wastes. This experience has included developing several reports that discuss the misuse of the TCLP in environmental evaluation. Sections of several of our reports are presented in this report.