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1. WHAT IS A WASTE MATERIAL?
2. Any materials that can not be reused, or is spent and that must be disposed of. Material that is still "good" or "reusable"
is not waste. Material that can be redistributed to other KSU Labs or areas is not waste.
3. WHAT IS A HAZARDOUS WASTE?
3.1. A Hazardous Waste is a waste material that meets one or more of the following definitions or is otherwise
dangerous to human safety and/or the environment:
3.2. FLAMMABLE / IGNITABLE: Any material having a flashpoint of less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit/60 degrees
Celsius. This will include most non-halogenated solvents. Water soluble solvents such as ethanol and acetone are
also covered by this regulation if the flashpoint of the material or the mixture is below 140 degrees Fahrenheit/60
degrees Celsius. Any material which by its nature is considered to be a flammable solid such as Sodium Metal,
Solid Naphthalene, and Nitrocellulose.
3.3. TOXIC: Any material which by nature of its active ingredients is considered to be a poison, carcinogen, mutagen or
other reproductive hazard, or is capable of causing harm to the environment.
3.4. CORROSIVE: Any material having a pH of less than 2 or more than 12.5 must be treated as hazardous waste and
cannot be disposed of in the sanitary sewer without first being neutralized, provided it has no other dangerous
properties such as toxicity.
3.5. REACTIVE: Any material that is unstable, explosive, water or air reactive, strong oxidizer, organic peroxide,
cyanide and sulfide bearing materials that release toxic gases in contact with acid.
3.6. BIOHAZARDOUS: Human or Animal tissue or fluids that are contaminated or may be contaminated with
pathogenic organisms and/or toxic chemicals. Tissue or fluids that have been thoroughly sterilized by autoclaving,
chemical sterilization or other methods are not considered to be biohazardous waste, but may still need special
disposal.
4. LABELING OF WASTE CONTAINERS
4.1. All hazardous waste containers must have a label that states "HAZARDOUS WASTE," and the specific names of
the wastes. Do not use abbreviations or chemical formulas.
5. PROPER CONTAINERS
5.1. Generally the best containers for hazardous waste are the ones that the materials originally came in. Other
containers, such as 5 gallon jugs are acceptable as long as the containers and any residue left inside are compatible
with the waste material. All containers must have tight-fitting lids, no corks or ground glass stoppers. Parafilm is
not a substitute for a tight fitting lid.
5.2. When not actually pouring waste into or out of the container the top must be securely fastened. You cannot leave a
funnel sitting in the container. The only exception to this is for processes such as HPLC that runs and adds waste to
the container continuously. When the HPLC process is not running the top must be on the container.
6. STORAGE AND COMPATIBILITY
6.1. At no time should there be more than 55 gallons of waste allowed to accumulate in any area prior to pickup. At no
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time should there be waste stored over drains or in the sinks. Waste must be stored in a secure place, where it is
always under the control of lab personnel. Waste stored outside the lab must be stored in the immediate vicinity of
the laboratory or work area, kept behind lock and key, inspected, and kept in a clean location. Waste should not be
stored with "good" chemicals. You must store only compatible wastes together in same containers as waste
chemicals are accumulated.
7. The examples below are for incompatible wastes:
7.1. ELEMENTAL METALS/HYDRIDES AND ACIDS/ALCOHOLS
CYANIDES AND ACIDS
SULFIDES AND ACIDS
OXIDIZERS AND FLAMMABLE
ACIDS AND BASES
ACIDS AND FLAMMABLE
ACIDS AND CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
AMINES AND CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
WATER OR AIR REACTIVES AND ANYTHING
PHENOL AND FORMALDEHYDE
7.2. This list is not all inclusive if in doubt do not mix! You should always consult the Material Safety Data Sheet
(MSDS) or other chemical information sources for compatibility information. Halogenated (chlorinated) and
mercuric waste chemicals should be kept separate from non-halogenated wastes. Acid waste must be kept separate
from basic waste.
8. DISPOSAL OF CHEMICALS
8.1. Waste generated from labs in Smith, SRL and Williams Halls are to be stored in the Waste Storage room located
off of the Williams Hall loading dock for pick up. Waste generated in labs located in Cunningham Hall are to be
stored in the Waste Storage Room in Cunningham A basement. Wastes form the LCM Building are to be kept in
the generating lab until picked up by the waste hauler. Call Jim Dunlap, ext. 2333 when you have a full container
of waste to arrange for pick up.
9. SAFETY
9.1. When handling hazardous waste take extreme care to ensure personal safety and to prevent spills and accidents.
Small spills of known materials should be immediately taken care of by personnel in the labs or work areas. If the
spill involves a hazardous waste the debris and clean up materials will be a hazardous waste also.
10. For large spills the Department Chemical Hygiene Officer, Department Safety Officer and the Manager, Laboratory
Safety (Tom Bialke, 4996) should be called.
10.1. If the spill occurs after hours/weekends/holiday, call 911 from any campus phone.
10.2. If the spill or release involves a dangerous or potentially dangerous material then evacuate the immediate area, shut
all doors and window if possible, and call 911 from any campus phone. Yo u should stay on the line until told to
hang up by the KSU Dispatcher. Persons involved with the problem should remain in the area at a safe distance
away to provide information on the materials involved and procedures going on in the area.
11. HAZARDOUS WASTE MINIMIZATION
11.1. Federal and State law requires that all generators who create hazardous waste come up with strategies to cut both
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the volume and toxicity of their wastes. Strategies to minimize the waste that your area generates are:
11.2. Substitution - replacing toxic or other hazardous materials used in processes with less or non-hazardous
substances. This is the best way to minimize your hazardous waste responsibilities. Example: using alconox instead
of sulfuric/chromic acid glass cleaners.
11.3. Micro Chemistry - using minute quantities and small scale chemistry instead of large amounts of chemicals in
laboratory experiments.
11.4. Redistilling - reclaiming solvents for reuse by a distilling process in the laboratory. This also is a great way to cut
costs as you cut the cost of replacement solvents drastically.
11.5. Recycling/Redistribution - chemicals that are unused or unopened can often be redistributed to other labs or work
areas for reuse saving both disposal costs and new product costs for someone else.
11.6. Laboratory Destruction - Some chemicals can be neutralized or made exempt from hazardous waste regulations
by treatment or alteration in the laboratory. This must be done as part of the experiment and must be done
according to published, recognized methods. An example of lab destruction would be neutralizing of strong acids
or bases with a buffering solution as part of an experiment that required or created such materials.
11.7. Sink Disposal - Chemicals NEVER should be put down the drain because of safety concerns and the problems the
chemical may cause at the City of Kent waste water treatment plant. If you have a chemical that you think can be
safely disposed of down the drain, call Tom Bialke, 4996 to obtain authorization.
12. Revision History
Rev # Date Reason For Change Approval
12.1.1. 1 August 3, 2001
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Laboratory Waste Disposal
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The 5 Most Common (Deadly, and EPA-fineable) Errors In Waste Handling
3. How To Segregate Waste In The Laboratory
4. Self-Auditing Checklist For Hazardous Waste Generators
5. Taking Your Waste To The Waste Storage Room For Disposal
6. Incompatible Chemicals Table
Introduction
Kent State University is dedicated to the maintenance of a safe, healthy and productive workplace environment. As
part of our commitment to environmental health and safety, we strive to ensure that our students, faculty and staff
meet or exceed state and federal regulations concerning hazardous wastes, laboratory management and worker
safety.
Proper storage and disposal of laboratory waste is a key element of this commitment. If you
generate or handle wastes, it is incumbent upon you to follow the established guidelines
concerning the proper disposal of hazardous waste. To ensure compliance with these rules, both
the University and EPA perform surprise inspections of our laboratory facilities on a routine
basis. Violations can result in substantial fines (up to $12,000 or more), or even the closing of the
laboratory.
The purpose of this document is to assist you in proper handling and disposal of hazardous
chemical waste. If at any time you are unsure how to deal with wastes, immediately consult your
supervisor, the KSU Assistant Director for Health and Safety (ext 2-3111 or the Manager of
Laboratory Safety (ext 2-4996).
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The 5 Most Common (Deadly and EPA-Fineable) Errors In
Waste Handling
Even experienced laboratory workers have a tendency to become lax or complacent in the laboratory when they are
"just cleaning up". Unfortunately, "just cleaning up" involves hazardous chemicals, and if these are improperly
segregated or disposed of the results can have tragic circumstances. Most serious laboratory accidents occur during
cleanup, when one's attention is more focused on going home or out to eat rather than on the potential hazard at
hand.
Proper management of hazardous waste does not need to be an all-consuming task, but it does
take discipline, vigilance and common sense. Listed here are 5 of the most common mistakes in
hazardous waste handling in the laboratory. Print this list out and make sure that none of these
are occurring in your laboratory!
1. Improper Labeling of Waste
Typical examples include:
a. Failing to label a waste bottle. If the contents of the bottle are not listed, the next person to use the bottle
could accidentally combine incompatible chemicals, causing a fire and explosion. ALL bottles of chemical
waste must held in the laboratory must have a Department Used Chemical Container Label:
b. and when placed in the appropriate Waste Storage Area designated for your laboratory a Hazardous Waste
label: (Do not cover above label)
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c. Storing waste in the waste storage area lacking the words "Hazardous Waste". Only these exact words must
be used. "Organic Waste", "Xylene Waste" etc. is unacceptable. If something is not really waste, do not put
the word "waste" on the bottle. Label it "used" etc.
d. Scratching out the former contents of the bottle and writing "Waste" on the bottle. You must remove or
totally deface the old label so there is no confusion over the contents. "Waste" is an unacceptable term to
the EPA or OSHA -- the words "Hazardous Waste" must appear on the bottle. And (as in a), always put a
red Hazardous Waste sticker on the bottle.
2. Improper Segregation of Waste
Typical examples include:
a. Mixing incompatible chemicals in a waste container. For example, nitric acid and ethanol can form an
explosive mixture
b. Storing acids and bases in the same cabinet. Leaking containers or a spill could cause a violent reaction,
which would release large quantities of toxic gases.
c. Storing acids and organic waste in the same cabinet. In the event of accidental mixing, a catastrophic fire or
explosion could result.
3. Improper Storage of Waste
Typical examples include:
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a. Storage of waste in a fume hood where reactions are being carried out. If your reaction gets out of control,
the waste bottle could explode and lead to a catastrophic fire or mixing of incompatible chemicals. Always
remove waste bottles from hoods where reactions are being performed.
b. Using metal cans for waste. Even near neutral pH, solids and liquids can easily corrode through metal cans
in a surprisingly short period of time. Use only glass or polyethylene containers for waste.
c. Storing flammable waste containers on a bench or floor. Store your waste containers in a cabinet,
preferably an explosion-resistant solvent cabinet.
d. Storing waste bottles in or near a sink or floor drain. This could allow toxic chemicals to enter the sewer,
incurring the wrath of the EPA.
e. Not placing the waste container in a drip pan or other type of secondary container.
4. Failure to Cap Waste Bottles
Typical examples include:
a. Leaving the cap off an organic waste bottle. The only time a cap should be off a waste bottle is when you
are actually putting waste into it. If you are afraid of a pressure buildup in the bottle, simply cap it loosely.
b. Leaving a funnel in the waste bottle. This is unacceptable. A funnel can too easily be moved to an adjacent
(incompatible) waste bottle and result in a fire or explosion. When you are done with it, cap it!
5. Accumulation of Excessive Waste
Ideally, you should have no more than ONE bottle of each kind of waste in your laboratory. If the organic
waste bottle is full, take it to the appropriate Waste Storage Room for your laboratory.
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How To Segregate Waste In The Laboratory
Proper segregation of laboratory waste is essential to good chemical hygiene and a safe workplace environment.
Many researchers often tend to put all of their wastes into the same cabinet or fume hood. Doing so can have
disastrous results!
The guidelines for temporary storage of chemical wastes in the laboratory are really no different
than those that you use for the storage of your usual lab chemicals. The most important rule is to
make sure that any chemicals or wastes that stored together are compatible with each other!
Therefore, proper segregation of wastes involves making sure that wastes within a bottle are
compatible, but it also means that you should NEVER store the following types of wastes near
each other:
Acids and bases.
o
Organics and acids.
o
Cyanide, sulfide or arsenic compounds and acids.
o
Alkali or alkali earth metals, alkyllithiums etc. and aqueous waste.
o
Powdered or reactive metals and combustible materials.
o
Mercury or silver and ammonium containing compounds.
o
This list is not comprehensive.
o
If a bottle broke in a waste storage area where incompatibles were present, the results could be
disastrous. Remember: incompatible bottles of wastes should be stored in separate cabinets, or in
separate secondary containers and preferably as far apart as possible!
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Self-Auditing Checklist For Hazardous Waste Generators
ALL hazardous waste containers must comply with ALL of the following requirements at ALL TIMES . If any item on this
list is not checked, you are in violation of State and Federal EPA regulations.
d
e
c
f
g
1. Is the container sound? (No cracks, rust or deterioration permitted).
d
e
c
f
g
2. Is the container compatible with the waste? (No metal cans, in particular).
c
d
e
f
g
3. Are the contents of the container compatible with each other?
d
e
f
g
c
4. Is the container properly labeled before being put in waste storage area, including the words Hazardous Waste
and a date?
d
e
c
f
g
5. Are the contents of the container clearly listed?
d
c
e
f
g
6. Is container closed with a properly fitting cap? (Do not leave funnels in the mouth!)
d
e
f
g
c
7. Is the waste container located in the lab (not in a hallway or storeroom)?
d
e
f
g
c
8. Is there less than 55 gallons of waste in the laboratory?
d
e
c
f
g
9. Is the waste located away from floor drains or sinks?
10. g
d
f
c
e If the container is full, it is being taken to the waste storage room for disposal.
WASTE CONTAINERS MUST BE CAPPED AT ALL TIMES
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Taking Waste to the Waste Storage Room
1. When your waste in the waste storage room. Make sure that:
ALL waste containers have a proper "HAZARDOUS WASTE" label with start date.
o
ALL contents are listed.
o
The bottle or jar has a cap that fits tightly.
o
There are no old or extraneous labels on the container.
o
If liquid, there is at least 1" of room at the top of the container.
o
The outside of the bottle is clean and dry.
o
Incompatible wastes (ex. acids and organics) are not mixed.
o
Halogenated wastes are separate from "regular" organic wastes whenever possible (it is much more
o
expensive to get rid of halogenated waste)!
The pH is known and listed on the disposal tag.
o
Follow Department procedures for notification and delivery of waste containers.
o
Departments that do not have provisions for Waste Storage are to contact Jim Dunlap, 2-3111 to arrange
o
for pick up of waste containers.
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Chemical Incompatibilities
The following are examples of chemical incompatibilities. This list should not be considered complete
and persons unsure as to the status of a particular chemical are advised to refer to more recent literature,
the manufacturer, as well as MSDS databases..
Chemical Incompatibilities
Chromic acid, nitric acid, hydroxyl compounds, ethylene glycol,
Acetic acid
perchloric acid, peroxides, permanganates
Acetylene Chlorine, bromine, copper, fluorine, silver, mercury
Acetone Concentrated nitric and sulfuric acid mixtures
Alkali and alkaline earth metals (such as powdered
Water, carbon tetrachloride or other chlorinated hydrocarbons, carbon
aluminum or magnesium, calcium, lithium,
dioxide, halogens
sodium, potassium)
Mercury (in manometers, for example), chlorine, calcium hypochlorite,
Ammonia (anhydrous)
iodine, bromine, hydrofluoric acid (anhydrous)
Acids, powdered metals, flammable liquids, chlorates, nitrites, sulfur,
Ammonium nitrate
finely divided organic combustible materials
Aniline Nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide
Arsenical materials Any reducing agent
Azides Acids
Bromine See chlorine
Calcium oxide Water
Carbon (activated) Calcium hypochlorite, all oxidizing agents
Carbon tetrachloride Sodium
Ammonium salts, acids, powdered metals, sulfur, finely divided organic
Chlorates
or combustible materials
Acetic acid, naphthalene, camphor, glycerol, alcohol, flammable liquids
Chromic acid and chromium
in general
Ammonia, acetylene, butadiene, butane, methane, propane (or other
Chlorine petroleum gases), hydrogen, sodium carbide, benzene, finely divided
metals, turpentine
Chlorine dioxide Ammonia, methane, phosphine, hydrogen sulfide
Copper Acetylene, hydrogen peroxide
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Cumene hydroperoxide Acids (organic or inorganic)
Cyanides Acids
Ammonium nitrate, chromic acid, hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid,
Flammable liquids
sodium peroxide, halogens
Fluorine All other chemicals
(such as butane, propane, benzene) Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, chromic
Hydrocarbons
acid, sodium peroxide
Hydrocyanic acid Nitric acid, alkali
Hydrofluoric acid (anhydrous) Ammonia (aqueous or anhydrous)
Copper, chromium, iron, most metals or their salts, alcohols, acetone,
Hydrogen peroxide
organic materials, aniline, nitromethane, combustible materials
Hydrogen sulfide Fuming nitric acid, oxidizing gases
Hypochlorites Acids, activated carbon
Iodine Acetylene, ammonia (aqueous or anhydrous), hydrogen
Mercury Acetylene, fulminic acid, ammonia
Nitrates Sulfuric acid
Acetic acid, aniline, chromic acid, hydrocyanic acid, hydrogen sulfide,
Nitric acid (concentrated)
flammable liquids, flammable gases, copper, brass, any heavy metals
Nitrites Acids
Nitroparaffins Inorganic bases, amines
Oxalic acid Silver, mercury
Oxygen Oils, grease, hydrogen: flammable liquids, solids or gases
Acetic anhydride, bismuth and its alloys, alcohol, paper, wood, grease,
Perchloric acid
oils
Peroxides, organic Acids (organic or mineral), avoid friction, store cold
Phosphorus (white) Air, oxygen, alkalis, reducing agents
Potassium Carbon tetrachloride, carbon dioxide, water
Potassium chlorate Sulfuric and other acids
Potassium perchlorate (see also chlorates) Sulfuric and other acids
Potassium permanganate Glycerol, ethylene glycol, benzaldehyde, sulfuric acid
Selenides Reducing agents
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Acetylene, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, ammonium compounds, fulminic
Silver
acid
Sodium Carbon tetrachloride, carbon dioxide, water
Sodium nitrite Ammonium nitrate and other ammonium salts
Ethyl or methyl alcohol, glacial acetic acid, acetic anhydride,
Sodium peroxide benzaldehyde, carbon disulfide, glycerin, ethylene glycol, ethyl acetate,
methyl acetate, furfural
Sulfides Acids
Potassium chlorate, potassium perchlorate, potassium permanganate
Sulfuric acid
(similar compounds of light metals, such as sodium, lithium)
Tellurides Reducing agents
Matter Antimatter
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