m73.   Are hazardous wastes regulated in the U.S.?

The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act requires the EPA to identify hazardous wastes and set standards for their management; provides guidelines and financial aid for states to establish waste management programs; requires all firms that store, treat, or dispose of more than 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of hazardous wastes per month to have a permit stating how such wastes are to be managed.

The 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund) established a $16.3-billion fund, financed by federal and state governments through taxes on chemical and petro-chemical industries was designed to clean up inactive hazardous-waste dump sites and leaking underground tanks that threaten human health and the environment.

e20.    What are environmental hazards and risks?

g16.    What is matter?