Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) Practice Exam 2026 - Free CHMM Practice Questions and Study Guide

When a material has a specific gravity of less than 1.0, it indicates that the material is less dense than water. Specific gravity is a dimensionless number that compares the density of a substance to the density of water. Since water has a density of approximately 1 g/cm³, any substance with a specific gravity lower than this will tend to float when placed in water.

This principle is essential in various applications, including environmental management, where understanding the behavior of materials in water can help in assessing contamination or spill responses. For instance, substances like oils and many plastics have a specific gravity under 1.0, leading them to float, which is critical information for hazardous waste management and remediation efforts.

Other options, such as sinking in water, releasing toxic gases, or transferring electrons, do not accurately reflect the buoyancy behavior associated with a specific gravity less than 1.0, as they pertain to different properties and behaviors of materials in various contexts.