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Reactive Hazardous Wastes may not be treated under PBR (Title 22, CCR, section 67450.11(a). Reactive hazardous wastes pose a greater threat of treatment process upset or explosion due to their tendency to react spontaneously or upon addition of water, or to release toxic gases when mixed with water. Cyanide bearing wastestreams are specifically identified as reactive hazardous wastes when the level of cyanide is high enough to release hydrogen cyanide gas when combined with acids. This level varies depending on the other constituents in the waste, especially the different metal ions. However, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has advised generators that a level of greater than 250 mg/kg of HCN generated during the standard test for reactivity is the threshold for classification of cyanide bearing wastestreams as reactive hazardous wastes. Wastestreams must be tested to determine if they are reactive; there is no one definitive concentration of cyanides that would make all wastes reactive. Treatment of wastestreams that contain sufficient cyanide to categorize them as extremely hazardous or reactive hazardous wastes may not take place under PBR even though the wastestream and treatment process would otherwise be eligible for PBR. Facilities treating wastestreams levels of cyanide to high for PBR must cease treating that hazardous waste, obtain a "full" permit under Title 22, CCR, Division 4.5, Chapter 20, obtain a variance from the appropriate DTSC regional office, or modify the process generating the cyanide bearing wastestream to reduce the concentration of cyanide until the waste is no longer reactive or extremely hazardous. For further information about the "full" permit or about variances, please contact the permitting branch of the appropriate DTSC regional office. y_ Facilities treating hazardous wastestreams that are not extremely hazardous or reactive and are otherwise eligible for PBR may continue to treat the cyanides in that wastestream. They must satisfy generator standards, found in Title 22, CCR, division 4.5, chapter 12, for that portion of the facility's treatment activities. After the cyanide treatment regulations become effective, the facility must include information regarding cyanide treatment when submitting an initial notification or their first annual renotification after that date. All PBR facilities will be notified and sent a copy of those regulations when they become effective. If you have notified the Department under PBR for a wastestream which is excluded from PBR (for instance for reactive or extremely hazardous concentrations of cyanide), please request withdrawal of your notification and explain why. Note that you will be billed for the notification fee; it is not refundable. Cyanides-2125192