A safety narrative.
We have a special waste collection day to make the building safer by getting rid of all the unwanted, unsafe, and unlabeled chemicals. I get rid of material when I notice it is unused, bad, or expired, but some researchers, however, don’t do that. So this is a great opportunity to designate chemicals as waste. If you have unstable chemical waste and are concerned about it reacting in the waste room this is the best time to get rid of it. The chemical disposal specialists will be here to pick up your waste then and there. Old, leaking, questionable looking, peroxide containing, or unlabeled chemical containers, as well as lecture bottles can also be taken to the Chevron Science Center loading dock at this time. Temperature sensitive materials, E.g., Azides, are ideally brought down at this waste collection.
Our Reactives Collection Day has been scheduled for Thursday, November 8, 2018 from 9 to 11 a.m.. This is a great opportunity to remove all of the unwanted and/or hazardous chemicals in your labs. Please mark your calendars and plan to donate!
The safe disposal of reactive or toxic organic chemicals is tedious and time-consuming. Procedures outlined in Destruction of Hazardous Chemicals in the Laboratory (Wiley), the Safety Data Sheets, and the Chemical Hygiene Plan have to be strictly observed to avoid accidents. In many cases, it is advisable to designate old and suspicious batches of chemicals for pick-up and incineration by the University’s Department of Environmental Health and Safety. This is particularly true for old metal hydrides, metal(0) samples, and peroxides. We have scheduled a special pick-up for hazardous, suspect or simply undesirable chemicals outside Chevron Science Center on the second-floor loading dock. Please drop off all old or otherwise unusable or dangerous specimens at this time. EHS Hazardous Materials Specialists will be available to collect these chemicals. You can also take any unlabeled containers for disposal at this time. This is a particularly good opportunity to move old, suspicious, or leaky batches of chemicals out of the lab, including peroxide forming chemicals and lecture bottles. Please take advantage of this collection and help prevent future accidents.
Updated Oct. 3, 2017 JCJ. Updated May 2 & October 6, 2018 JCJ.