The test involves a simulation of leaching through a landfill and can provide a rating that can prove if the waste is dangerous to the environment or not. This rating can dictate the waste management methodology that the company adopts to dispose of the waste afterwards The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure test determines:

· The mobility of organic and inorganic contaminants in waste materials

· Hazardous and non-hazardous wastes for disposal in the appropriate landfill

· How percolating liquids may react with solid waste in simulated landfill conditions

· The amount of EPA-listed contaminants are present and likely to be absorbed into soil and groundwater

· What possible public health or environmental health hazards exist in the sludge being tested.

TCLP analysis is helpful in exploring all possible options for the safe disposal of hazardous material.

Standards may be diluted in the same matrix as specified; however, caution must be exercised in the choice of the source for your diluents. Diluting the matrix may cause some standards to precipitate. Also, an impure or unknown diluent turns your standard into an unknown. We recommend using qualified matrix blanks when diluting your standard.

During the TCLP procedure, the solid test sample is diluted with extraction fluid that is 20 times the weight of the sample. The total concentration results are then divided by 20 and compared to the TCLP regulatory limits. If the number is lower than the TCLP limit, then the waste cannot leach enough chemical into soil and ground water to be considered “toxicity characteristic” hazardous waste.