[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 2 (Thursday, January 3, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 486-489]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-25575]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-RCRA-2006-0833; FRL-8513-2]
Waste Management System; Testing and Monitoring Activities;
Notice of Availability of Final Update IV of SW-846
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or Agency) is
providing notice of the availability of ``Final Update IV'' to the
Third Edition of the manual, ``Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste,
Physical/Chemical Methods,'' EPA publication SW-846. Final Update IV
contains new and revised analytical methods that may be used in
monitoring or complying with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA) hazardous waste regulations.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Kirkland, EMRAD, Office of Solid
Waste (5307P), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460-0002; telephone number: (703) 308-
8855, fax number: (703) 308-0509, e-mail address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. How Can I Get Copies of Final Update IV and Other Related
Information?
1. Docket. EPA has established a docket for this action under
Docket ID No. EPA-RCRA-2006-0833; FRL-6908-4. Publicly available docket
materials are available either electronically through http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the OSWER RCRA Docket in the EPA
Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave.,
NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open
from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal
holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is (202)
566-1744, and the telephone number for the OSWER RCRA Docket is (202)
566-0270.
Electronic Access. You may access this Federal Register document
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register''
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
B. How Can I Get Copies of the Third Edition of SW-846 and All of Its
Updates?
The Third Edition of SW-846, as amended by Final Updates I, II,
IIA, IIB, III, IIIA, IIIB, and IV is available in pdf format on the
Internet at http://www.epa.gov/SW-846. Table 1 below provides sources
for both paper and electronic copies of the Third Edition of SW-846 and
all of its updates.
[[Page 487]]
Table 1.--Sources for SW-846, Third Edition, and Its Updates
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source Available portions of SW-846
------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Technical Information Service --Paper copy of an integrated
(NTIS), 5285 Port Royal Road, version of SW-846, Third
Springfield, VA 22161, (703) 605-6000 Edition, as amended by Final
or (800) 553-6847. Updates I, II, IIA, IIB, III,
and IIIA.
--Individual paper copies of
the SW-846, Third Edition,
basic manual and of certain
updates, including Final
Updates I, II, IIA, IIB, III,
IIIA, and IIIB.
--CD-ROM of integrated version
of SW-846, Third Edition, as
amended by Final Updates I,
II, IIA, IIB, and III (pdf and
WordPerfect electronic
copies).
--CD-ROM of Draft Update IVA
(pdf and WordPerfect
electronic copies).
Internet http://www.epa.gov/SW-846..... --Integrated version of SW-846,
Third Edition, as amended by
Final Updates I, II, IIA, IIB,
III, IIIA, IIIB, and IV (pdf
electronic copy).
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C. How Is the Rest of This Notice Organized?
We list below the order of the major sections of this notice.
II. What is the Subject and Purpose of this Notice?
III. Why is this Update to SW-846 Being Announced in a Notice
Instead of Being Promulgated as a Final Rule?
IV. What Does Final Update IV Contain?
II. What Is the Subject and Purpose of This Notice?
We are announcing the availability of Final Update IV to ``Test
Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods,'' EPA
Publication SW-846. Final Update IV of SW-846 contains analytical
methods that we have evaluated and determined to be appropriate and may
be used for monitoring or complying with the RCRA hazardous waste
regulations.
The Agency revises the content of SW-846 over time as new
information and data are developed. We continually review advances in
analytical instrumentation and techniques and periodically incorporate
such advances into SW-846 as method updates by adding new methods to
the manual, and replacing existing methods with revised versions of the
same method. These updates improve analytical method performance and
cost effectiveness. To date, we have finalized Updates I, II, IIA, IIB,
III, IIIA, and IIIB to the SW-846 manual, which can be found on the
Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/test/sw846.htm.
On May 8, 1998, we published a notice of availability for Draft
Update IVA in the Federal Register (see 63 FR 25430-25438, Docket No.
F-98-4TMA-FFFF) and, on November 27, 2000, we published a notice of
availability for Draft Update IVB in the Federal Register (see 65 FR
70678-70681, Docket No. F-2000-4BTA-FFFF). In today's notice, we are
announcing the availability of Final Update IV, which combines Draft
Updates IVA, IVB, and subsequent revisions made to these Updates based
on public comments received.
III. Why Is This Update to SW-846 Being Announced in a Notice Instead
of Being Promulgated as a Final Rule?
In the past, EPA proposed and finalized updates to SW-846 as part
of a rulemaking. On June 14, 2005, however, EPA published a final rule,
referred to as the Methods Innovation Rule (MIR), which removed from
the RCRA hazardous waste regulations any requirement to use an
analytical method found in SW-846, unless that method is the only one
capable of measuring a method-defined parameter (MDP) (70 FR 34538-
34592). See the preamble of that rule regarding the Agency's basis for
that rulemaking. In addition, the MIR allows the Agency to issue final
updates to SW-846 as guidance, provided the analytical methods
contained in the update are not required by the RCRA hazardous waste
regulations. The Agency will continue to follow Agency guidelines to
ensure that methods incorporated into SW-846 are scientifically sound,
including the peer review of method documents, as appropriate. We will
also continue to request public comment on methods we update through
Federal Register notices prior to their incorporation into SW-846.
As the analytical methods contained in Final Update IV are not
required by the RCRA hazardous waste regulations, EPA is issuing this
update as guidance. EPA solicited public comments on the analytical
methods found in Final Update IV in two Federal Register notices (see
notice of availability for Draft Update IVA of SW 846 (63 FR 25430) and
Draft Update IVB of SW-846 (65 FR 70678)). The docket to Final Update
IV (EPA-RCRA-2006-0833) contains a background document with our
response to public comments.
IV. What Does Final Update IV Contain?
Final Update IV contains new and revised analytical methods, each
dated ``February 2007'' in its footer. The new and revised analytical
methods can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/test/main.htm. Tables 2 through 4 list the documents found in Final Update
IV. Table 5 lists those methods that have been deleted.
Table 2 provides a listing of the twenty-four revised SW-846
analytical methods, seven revised chapters and the table of contents
and title page. Chapter Eleven (``Ground Water Monitoring'') is
included in this listing because, as described in the Draft Update IVA
notice, EPA has removed the outdated text of Chapter Eleven of SW-846
and replaced the text with a note to refer the reader to the most
current version of the ground-water monitoring guidance originally
issued by EPA's Office of Solid Waste (OSW) in 1992.
Table 3 provides a listing of twenty-three new analytical methods
found in Update IV. It should be noted that two of the analytical
methods (Methods 4500 and 9058) on which the Agency solicited public
comment in Draft Updates IVA and IVB are not included in Final Update
IV. Specifically, Method 4500, ``Mercury in Soil by Immunoassay,'' a
method in Draft Update IVA, is not included because the method kit is
no longer available from its original source. Method 9058,
``Determination of Perchlorate Using Ion Chromatography with Chemical
Suppression Conductivity Detection,'' a method in Draft Update IVB, is
not included because EPA determined, based on public comment and other
source information, that this version of the analytical method is
subject to biased results due to matrix interferences. However, the
Agency developed two new and improved analytical methods for
perchlorate analyses, SW-846 Methods 6850 and
[[Page 488]]
6860. These methods are not part of the Final Update IV package, but
have been validated and are available for use at the EPA Methods Web
site, under the heading ``New Methods,'' http://www.epa.gov/SW-846.
Given the development and availability of Methods 6850 and 6860, EPA
recommends that Method 9058 only be used for screening or long-term
monitoring purposes. Confirmation of perchlorate detection is
recommended when analyzing unfamiliar samples using an additional
technique. EPA currently plans to include a final version of Method
9058 in the Fourth Edition of SW-846 after additional validation. The
final version will also be posted on the EPA Methods Web site if the
method is completed prior to official publication of the Fourth
Edition.
Table 4 identifies three air sampling methods for which we are
providing references in SW-846 as part of Final Update IV. These one
page references indicate how one may obtain a copy of each method. We
are providing this information in SW-846, for the convenience of the
reader.
Finally, Table 5 identifies the forty-four analytical methods to be
integrated or deleted from SW-846 as part of Final Update IV. All but
one of these analytical methods is an individual flame or graphite
furnace atomic absorption method. The exception is Method 3810,
``Headspace,'' an obsolete headspace screening method which was
replaced by Method 5021, ``Volatile Organic Compounds in Soils and
Other Solid Matrices Using Equilibrium Headspace Analysis.'' The Agency
is deleting Method 3810 because Method 5021, added to SW-846 as part of
Final Update III, can be used for screening applications (in addition
to quantitative uses), and can be expected to perform better than
Method 3810 as a screening method. The 43 individual atomic absorption
methods are being deleted because their inclusion is redundant given
that their procedures and target analytes are fully integrated into
revised Method 7000B (see Table 2) or new Method 7010 (see Table 3),
the general methods for the atomic absorption techniques.
Table 2.--Revised Analytical Methods and Chapters of SW-846 in Final
Update IV
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Analytical method No. Method or chapter title
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents.
Chapter Two--Choosing the Correct
Procedure.
Chapter Three--Inorganic Analytes.
Chapter Four--Organic Analytes.
Chapter Five--Miscellaneous Test
Methods.
Chapter Six--Properties.
Chapter Ten--Sampling Methods.
Chapter Eleven--Ground Water
Monitoring.
3015A............................ Microwave Assisted Acid Digestion of
Aqueous Samples and Extracts.
3051A............................ Microwave Assisted Acid Digestion of
Sediments, Sludges, Soils, and Oils.
3500C............................ Organic Extraction and Sample
Preparation.
3535A............................ Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE).
3545A............................ Pressurized Fluid Extraction (PFE).
3550C............................ Ultrasonic Extraction.
3620C............................ Florisil Cleanup.
6010C............................ Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic
Emission Spectrometry.
6020A............................ Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass
Spectrometry.
7000B............................ Flame Atomic Absorption
Spectrophotometry.
7471B............................ Mercury in Solid or Semisolid Waste
(Manual Cold-Vapor Technique).
8015C............................ Nonhalogenated Organics by Gas
Chromatography.
8041A............................ Phenols by Gas Chromatography.
8081B............................ Organochlorine Pesticides by Gas
Chromatography.
8082A............................ Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) by
Gas Chromatography.
8141B............................ Organophosphorus Compounds by Gas
Chromatography.
8270D............................ Semivolatile Organic Compounds by Gas
Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/
MS).
8280B............................ Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins
(PCDDs) and Polychlorinated
Dibenzofurans (PCDFs) by High
Resolution Gas Chromatography/Low
Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRGC/
LRMS).
8290A............................ Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins
(PCDDs) and Polychlorinated
Dibenzofurans (PCDFs) by High-
Resolution Gas Chromatography/High-
Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRGC/
HRMS).
8318A............................ N-Methylcarbamates by High
Performance Liquid Chromatography
(HPLC).
8321B............................ Solvent-Extractable Nonvolatile
Compounds by High-Performance Liquid
Chromatography/Thermospray/Mass
Spectrometry (HPLC/TS/MS) or
Ultraviolet (UV) Detection.
8330A............................ Nitroaromatics and Nitramines by High
Performance Liquid Chromatography
(HPLC).
9056A............................ Determination of Inorganic Anions by
Ion Chromatography.
9210A............................ Potentiometric Determination of
Nitrate in Aqueous Samples with Ion-
Selective Electrode.
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Table 3.--New Analytical Methods of SW-846 in Final Update IV
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Analytical method No. Method title
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1040............................. Test Method for Oxidizing Solids.
1050............................. Test Methods to Determine Substances
Likely to Spontaneously Combust.
3546............................. Microwave Extraction.
3562............................. Supercritical Fluid Extraction of
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and
Organochlorine Pesticides.
3815............................. Screening Solid Samples for Volatile
Organics.
4425............................. Screening Extracts of Environmental
Samples for Planar Organic Compounds
(PAHs, PCBs, PCDDs/PCDFs) by a
Reporter Gene on a Human Cell Line.
4670............................. Triazine Herbicides as Atrazine in
Water by Quantitative Immunoassay.
6200............................. Field Portable X-Ray Fluorescence
Spectrometry for the Determination
of Elemental Concentrations in Soil
and Sediment.
6500............................. Dissolved Inorganic Anions in Aqueous
Matrices by Capillary Ion
Electrophoresis.
6800............................. Elemental and Speciated Isotope
Dilution Mass Spectrometry.
7010............................. Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption
Spectrophotometry.
7473............................. Mercury in Solids and Solutions by
Thermal Decomposition, Amalgamation,
and Atomic Absorption
Spectrophotometry.
7474............................. Mercury in Sediment and Tissue
Samples by Atomic Fluorescence
Spectrometry.
[[Page 489]]
8085............................. Compound-Independent Elemental
Quantitation of Pesticides by Gas
Chromatography with Atomic Emission
Detection (GC/AED).
8095............................. Explosives by Gas Chromatography.
8261............................. Volatile Organic Compounds by Vacuum
Distillation in Combination with Gas
Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (VD/
GC/MS).
8510............................. Colorimetric Screening Procedure for
RDX and HMX in Soil.
8535............................. Screening Procedure for Total
Volatile Organic Halides in Water.
8540............................. Pentachlorophenol (PCP) by UV-Induced
Colorimetry.
9000............................. Determination of Water in Waste
Materials by Karl Fischer Titration.
9001............................. Determination of Water in Waste
Materials by Quantitative Calcium
Hydride Reaction.
9074............................. Turbidimetric Screening Method for
Total Recoverable Petroleum
Hydrocarbons in Soil.
9216............................. Potentiometric Determination of
Nitrite in Aqueous Samples with Ion-
selective Electrode.
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Table 4.--Analytical Method References Provided by SW-846 in Final
Update IV
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Analytical method No. Method title
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25D.............................. Determination of the Volatile Organic
Concentration of Waste Samples.
25E.............................. Determination of Vapor Phase Organic
Concentration in Waste Samples.
207.............................. A Method for Measuring Isocyanates in
Stationary Source Emissions.
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Table 5.--Deleted Analytical Methods
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Analytical method No. Method title
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3810 \a\......................... Headspace.
7020 \b\......................... Aluminum (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7040 \b\......................... Antimony (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7041 \c\......................... Antimony (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7060 \a\......................... Arsenic (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7080A \b\........................ Barium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7081 \c\......................... Barium (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7090 \b\......................... Beryllium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7091 \c\......................... Beryllium (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7130 \b\......................... Cadmium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7131A \c\........................ Cadmium (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7140 \b\......................... Calcium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7190 \b\......................... Chromium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7191 \c\......................... Chromium (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7200 \b\......................... Cobalt (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7201 \c\......................... Cobalt (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7210 \b\......................... Copper (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7211 \c\......................... Copper (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7380 \b\......................... Iron (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7381 \c\......................... Iron (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7420 \b\......................... Lead (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7421 \c\......................... Lead (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7430 \b\......................... Lithium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7450 \b\......................... Magnesium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7460 \b\......................... Manganese (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7461 \c\......................... Manganese (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7480 \b\......................... Molybdenum (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7481 \c\......................... Molybdenum (Atomic Absorption,
Furnace Technique).
7520 \b\......................... Nickel (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7521 \c\......................... Nickel (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Method).
7550 \b\......................... Osmium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7610 \b\......................... Potassium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7740 \c\......................... Selenium (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7760A \b\........................ Silver (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7761 \c\......................... Silver (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7770 \b\......................... Sodium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7780 \b\......................... Strontium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7840 \b\......................... Thallium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7841 \c\......................... Thallium (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7870 \b\......................... Tin (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7910 \b\......................... Vanadium (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7911 \c\......................... Vanadium (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique).
7950 \b\......................... Zinc (Atomic Absorption, Direct
Aspiration).
7951 \c\......................... Zinc (Atomic Absorption, Furnace
Technique)
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\a\ Replaced by Method 5021.
\b\ Integrated into Method 7000B.
\c\ Integrated into Method 7010.
Dated: December 20, 2007.
Susan Parker Bodine,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response.
[FR Doc. E7-25575 Filed 1-2-08; 8:45 am]
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