Bill Reed, an environmental protection specialist with

Bill Reed, an environmental protection specialist with the 72nd Civil Engineering Directorate, receives waste samples in his area of the Environmental Lab. Samples may include shop rags, blast media, fuel filters, paint and other debris from shop areas. He performs toxicity characteristic leaching procedures on each sample, by adding an extraction fluid to the sample, then rotates the sample, checks the pH level, adds hydrochloric acid, heats the sample and then checks the pH again. This process helps determine the metals within the sample and if they are considered hazardous or non-hazardous. (U.S. Air Force photo/Kelly White)