CHMM Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CHMM facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. This sign requires eyewear. → FALSE
2. CERCLA, commonly known as Superfund, authorizes the EPA to do which of the following? → Clean up uncontrolled hazardous waste sites and pursue cost recovery
3. A manufacturing facility eliminates the use of a chlorinated solvent by redesigning its cleaning process to use ultrasonic cleaning. This is best classified as: → Source reduction through process modification
4. Which metric is most directly useful for evaluating the effectiveness of a pollution prevention program? → Reduction in the quantity or toxicity of waste generated per unit of production over time
5. Which act requires owners and operators of underground storage tanks (USTs) to meet specific technical and financial responsibility requirements? → RCRA Subtitle I
6. How should a hazard be handled to protect others? Pick one answer → Remove it immediately
7. Which regulation requires facilities with threshold quantities of regulated substances to develop Risk Management Plans (RMPs)? → EPA RMP Rule (40 CFR Part 68)
8. How can employees promote workplace safety? Check all that apply → They should report unsafe conditions after an accident has occurred.
9. Which consequence modeling tool is commonly used to estimate the dispersion of a toxic gas release in the atmosphere? → CAMEO/ALOHA
10. Which of the following is a key responsibility of the shipper when offering a hazardous material for transport? → Classifying, packaging, marking, labeling, and documenting the shipment correctly.
11. A 'bowtie' risk analysis diagram combines which two analytical methods? → Fault Tree Analysis (left side) and Event Tree Analysis (right side)
12. Which is not a universal waste? → Pesticides
13. Why is waste management not separate from other global challenges like resource sustainability? → Valid
14. The fringe effect was present. → Ancient times
15. A Preliminary Hazard Analysis (PHA) is typically conducted at which stage of a project? → Early in the conceptual or design phase
16. Under the Clean Air Act, National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAPs) regulate emissions of which category of pollutants? → Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) such as benzene and mercury
17. The federal law that reduced hazardous waste contamination was which one? → RCRA
18. Which enforcement tool allows EPA to issue an order requiring immediate compliance with RCRA requirements without going to court? → Administrative compliance order (ACO)
19. A CHMM is evaluating whether to implement a closed-loop solvent recovery system. From a pollution prevention standpoint, this is classified as: → Recycling — preferred over disposal but below source reduction in the P2 hierarchy
20. Green chemistry principles focus primarily on: → Designing chemical products and processes to reduce or eliminate hazardous substances
21. The municipality or local authority charges users based on how much rubbish they bring for pickup. → pay as you throw
22. During a risk assessment, 'sensitive receptors' are important to identify because they represent which group? → Populations or locations with heightened vulnerability to adverse effects
23. Which of the following activities falls within the scope of the Pollution Prevention Act's definition of 'pollution prevention'? → Reduction in energy use that results in decreased air emissions per unit of production
24. The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments (HSWA) of 1984 added which significant requirement to RCRA? → Land disposal restrictions (LDRs) for untreated hazardous waste
25. The federal Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 was primarily enacted to: → Shift national policy toward reducing pollution at its source
26. In an environmental health risk assessment, what is the step that determines how much of a chemical people are actually exposed to? → Exposure assessment
27. Make trash management more effective by → reducing our trash output
28. When conducting a pollution prevention opportunity assessment, which step should come first? → Gathering baseline data on material inputs, waste generation, and energy use
29. Under 40 CFR Part 262, which document must accompany a hazardous waste shipment from the generator to the treatment, storage, or disposal facility? → Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest
30. In a Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA), what does an 'independent protection layer' (IPL) provide? → A risk reduction mechanism that functions independently of other safeguards