CHEMICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION: the field of chemical waste management and have

 Protecting the environment from chemical oversight of the chemical waste program.
contamination is another facet of chemical Responsibilities:
safety which must be managed.  Provide written guidance outlining the
 Improper or careless disposal practices have hazardous waste procedures.
significant effects to the environment:  Work with campus staff and students to
o polluting water source resolve chemical waste issues, provide
o poisoning wild life support and answer questions.
o creating toxic sites  Provide training to chemical waste
 Single most important green activity: generators on campus.
conscientious, careful management of chemical  Remove chemical wastes from labs and
wastes other areas on campus where they are
generated, and manage them through to
WASTE CHEMICALS their final destination offsite.
 EXPIRED MATERIALS: if a chemical bottle has  Generate and maintain all disposal records
an expiration date that has passed, and that as required by regulation.
chemical cannot be used when it’s expired
 EXTRANEOUS MATERIALS: if the process or CLASSIFICATION OF CHEMICAL WASTES:
experiment for which a chemical is used is no HAZARDOUS WASTE:
longer practiced and that chemical will not be  Exhibits a ‘hazardous’ characteristic, is listed
used for another purpose according to Federal or State regulation, or
best management practices dictate strict
VOLUME: control must be managed as a hazardous
1ml = 1 Gallon waste
 Have the greatest potential to harm people
RESPONSIBILITIES: or the environment, and bear the full burden
1. Complete hazardous waste training at least of environmental regulation.
once every 12 months. Employees and students  Mis-management can result in significant
in laboratories can satisfy this requirement environmental penalties and enforcement
through Laboratory Safety Training. Employees actions.
in other departments must attend their  The term ‘hazardous waste’ should only
scheduled training programs. New employees be used when describing chemicals.
must complete training within 6 months. Infectious or radioactive wastes are not
2. Identify the chemical wastes generated in the ‘hazardous wastes’ unless they are mixed
workplace and make decisions – with help from with chemical wastes.
the Environmental Health and Safety  Collection and management of chemical
Department (EHS) – on proper disposal. wastes as hazardous wastes ensures the
3. Collect, label and manage all chemical wastes maximum level of environmental protection
according to protocols. and is the safest means of chemical waste
4. Seek help from the Environmental Health and management.
Safety Department when questions or issues
arise relative to chemical waste management. NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE:
5. Maintain good housekeeping in chemical waste  Does not exhibit a state or federal
accumulation areas. hazardous characteristic and is not listed as
a ‘hazardous waste’ isn’t necessarily safe
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS AND DEPARTMENT for disposal via sink or in the regular
MANAGERS: ensuring that personnel working under trash.
their supervision have attended training and are  In some cases, protection of the
following protocols. environment requires us to go above and
beyond the hazardous waste regulations. An
LAB SAFETY COORDINATORS: ensure that weekly example would be ethidium bromide, which
inspections of all chemical waste accumulation areas are doesn’t technically exhibit a hazardous
conducted, and to serve as the liaisons between characteristic but which isn’t safe for
laboratories and EHS to get questions answered and handling as regular trash. Other examples
problems resolved. include materials like nanoparticles for which
comprehensive safety information does not
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY (EHS) yet exist. Often the precautionary principle
DEPARTMENT MEMBERS: subject-matter experts in dictates that we collect these materials
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 CHEMICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT
because we do not understand the potential don’t know or are unsure about the
harm they can cause in the environment. characteristics or properties of a chemical waste
 In other cases, a different regulation might contact EHS for assistance.
stipulate collection of a waste chemical. An  Never assume a chemical waste is safe for
example would be very small concentrations disposal in the regular trash or via a sink or
(part-per-billion level) of mercury in drain. Always err on the side of caution;
otherwise benign reagents. Local Clean collection and management as a hazardous
Water Act enforcement prohibits mercury waste because this is the safest and most
disposal to sink drains even though the level responsible way to collect a chemical waste.
of contamination is low.
 In cases where a chemical is collected as a CHARACTERISTICS OF HAZARDOUS WASTES:
non-hazardous waste, some of the IGNITABLE CHARACTERISTIC
hazardous waste management rules do not  LIQUID CHEMICALS:
apply. Flash point (‘Pensky-Martens Closed Cup
Tester’) is less than or equal to 140 degrees F
UNIVERSAL WASTE: (60 degrees C)
 A small subset of chemical wastes has been Common examples include:
de-regulated to some extent based on the o Alcohols (note: for ethanol, mixtures
fact that they are so widespread. greater than or equal to 20% are
 Management regulations still exist, but they hazardous wastes. For other alcohols
are lessened relative to hazardous waste the cut-off is 10%.)
regulations. o Organic Solvents and mixtures
 Most often generated and managed through containing organic solvents such as
Facilities Management Department xylenes, hexane, toluene, acetone, etc.
operations. o Stains and mixtures containing stains
 Universal Wastes include: (because they are solvent-based).
o Fluorescent bulbs of all shapes and o Oil-based paints and coatings
sizes
o Many types of batteries  SOLID CHEMICALS:
o Mercury-containing devices such as The chemical is capable, under standard
switches and thermostats. temperature and pressure, of causing fire
through friction, absorption of moisture or
SAFE FOR SINK OR TRASH DISPOSAL: spontaneous chemical changes, and burns
 A very small percentage of chemical wastes are vigorously when ignited
un-regulated and safe to pour into sinks or place Common examples include:
in the trash. Some examples include benign o Paraformaldehyde
salts like sodium chloride, and non-toxic, non- o Parafin wax with xylene
corrosive cleaning chemicals. Contact EHS prior o Rags saturated with an ignitable liquid
to disposing any chemical into a sink or via the
trash.  COMPRESSED GAS:
Generally this involves partially-full, or left-over
HAZARDOUS WASTES cylinders of gas
 Most important question to answer: “does my Common Examples include:
chemical waste have to be collected and o Hydrogen
managed as a hazardous waste?” It is o Acetylene
necessary to know the answer to this question o Propane
as this is the first step in a process known as o Butane
making a ‘WASTE DETERMINATION’, and is a
required step in chemical waste management.  OXIDIZERS:
 To determine whether a chemical waste must be Capable of enhancing the combustion of other
collected as a hazardous waste you must have materials, generally by yielding oxygen.
information about the properties and behavior of Common examples include:
the chemical. o Chlorates
 This knowledge is fundamental to safe o Chlorites
laboratory operations, and literature is available
o Nitrates
in your workplace in the form of Safety Data
o Perchlorates
Sheets (SDS or MSDS) which can help. If you
o Perchlorites
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 CHEMICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT
o Permanganates
o Peroxides The concentration listed next to the chemical
names below refers to a very specialized
CORROSIVE CHARACTERISTIC analytical method known as the TCLP test
 It is aqueous and has a pH less than or (Toxic Characteristic Leachate Procedure) is
equal to 2, or greater than or equal to designed to simulate the concentration of
12.5, or contaminant that would leach out of the material
 It is a liquid and corrodes steel (Type if it were in a landfill under acid rain conditions.
SAE 1020) at a rate greater than 6.35 EHS can provide TCLP analysis if necessary.
mm (approximately 0.250 inch) per year. However, in most cases the right thing to do is to
 Common examples include: collect wastes with any concentration of the
o Hydrochloric Acid chemicals listed below. As always, contact EHS
if you have questions.
o Sulfuric Acid
(Chemicals on the federal toxic List)
o Nitric Acid
o Sodium Hydroxide LISTED HAZARDOUS WASTE:
 F List: commonly generated chemical wastes at
REACTIVE CHARACTERISTIC specific concentrations that must be collected
 Under normal conditions is unstable and  U List: un-used chemicals that become wastes
can undergo violent changes without (expired, spilled, or no longer necessary for a
detonating laboratory’s experimentation)
 REACTS VIOLENTLY WITH WATER  P List: which are considered ‘acutely’
Common Examples Include: hazardous when disposed of. This only applies
o Sodium metal, to chemicals which are un-used when they
o Anhydrides, become wastes.
o Sodium Borohydride o Empty containers which once held ‘P-
 REACTS VIOLENTLY WITH AIR listed’ materials must be handled as
Common Examples Include: hazardous wastes themselves.
o tert-butyllithium,
 CAPABLE OF DETONATION OR SATELLITE ACCUMULATION AREAS:
VIOLENT EXPLOSION  Essentially the waste collection point until a
Common Examples Include: container becomes full.
o Dry picric acid,  RULES:
o Azide compounds, o LOCATION: at or near the point of
o Organic peroxides, generation
o Old ether or tetrahydrofuran with o NUMBER: no limit
peroxide formation o SIGNAGE
 CYANIDE OR SULFIDE which, when o SECONDARY CONTAINMENT: plastic
exposed to a pH of between 2 and 12.5, tubs or trays to avoid spill
generates toxic gases, vapors or fumes o SEGRAGATION OF INCOMPATIBLE:
Common Examples Include: (strong acids and strong base, organics
o Sodium cyanide, and oxidizers, etc) must be separated
o Potassium cyanide, into different secondary containment
o Sodium sulfide, o DURATION: can stay as long as they
o Carbon disulfide are not full. but once full should be
removed within 3 days
TOXIC o DUPLICATION OF WASTE STREAMS:
 The toxic ‘characteristic’ is where the should only be one container of each
regulations start to get into listing type of waste
specific chemicals (federal toxic list or o WEEKLY INSPECTION: inspected
the ‘D’ list) weekly
 General rule: a waste that contains any
material on this list should be collected CHEMICAL WASTE CONTAINERS:
for disposal regardless of concentration;  CLOSURE: Must be tightly closed at all times;
even if it’s not technically regulated as a unless a user is in the process of pouring waste
hazardous waste it still doesn’t belong in into the container. Way to achieve this is with a
the environment. tight-fitting screw cap tightly secured on the

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 CHEMICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT
container. If a container would leak if tipped
over, then it’s not tightly closed. DILUTION AND EVAPORATION:
 CONDITION: Free of cracks, leaks and  Dilution of a waste stream (by adding clean
corrosion. water, for example) so that it no longer meets a
 COMPATIBILITY: Must be compatible with and hazardous waste characteristic (a concentration
resistant to the chemical wastes which are of a toxic metal, for example) is not allowed.
collected inside. Contact EHS for help. Chemical waste streams must be identified and
 SIZE: dealt with at the time they become wastes;
o No larger than 55 gallons. typically, at the conclusion of an experimental
o Additionally, Fire Department and other protocol. Dilution is not the solution to
regulations often place further pollution.
restrictions on container size depending  Mixing a listed hazardous waste with other
on the nature of the chemical stored waste streams results in the entire mixture
inside. becoming a regulated hazardous waste.
o P-listed chemicals must be removed  Evaporation of liquid chemical wastes in
from Satellite Accumulation Areas once NOT an acceptable method of disposal.
one quart has been generated Liquid wastes must be captured and disposed of
(container may be larger) properly. Addition of volatile organic compounds
 LABELING: (VOCs) to the atmosphere contributes to the
o “Hazardous Waste” generation of harmful ground-level ozone, which
o Name of the hazardous waste chemical is a serious health threat especially in urban
areas.
(or chemicals) inside the container. Must
be spelled out in full
ELEMENTARY NEUTRALIZATION:
o ‘Statement of the hazard’ indicating
 EHS recommends collection of chemical wastes
which of the 4 hazard classes the
with high or low pH values (remember that
chemical(s) exhibit. (Ignitable,
chemical wastes with of 2 or lower, or 12.5 or
Corrosive, Reactive, Toxic)
higher, exhibit the corrosive characteristic and
o Date that the container became full (no
are hazardous wastes) for disposal off-site.
container in a SAA should have a date
 There are circumstances in which it is
older than 3 days)
allowable to neutralize the pH of a corrosive
waste – a process called ELEMENTARY
TRAINING:
NEUTRALIZATION. The high or low pH waste
 Initial Training: first six months of employment
must ONLY be hazardous because of pH
 Refresher Training: Annually (cannot carry any other characteristic or be a
listed hazardous waste) and the neutralization
DISPOSAL OF UNKOWNS: process must not generate toxic gases or
 All chemicals must be identified and containers dangerous levels of heat.
properly labeled at all times.
 If an unknown chemical is discovered, label it as NANOPARTICLES:
“unknown-pending analysis” and attach a note  Defined as particles with at least one dimension
detailing any information about what the between 1 and 100 nanometers in length
chemical may be or what experiment it may  For this reason, disposal of nanoparticle wastes
have been used for and where it was found. should accomplish via the hazardous chemical
Contact EHS immediately for characterization. waste program.
CHEMICAL SPILLS AND PPE WASTES:
 Pure nanoparticles (tubes, dots, etc.), items
 Material that is used to clean up a chemical spill contaminated with nanomaterials (PPE, wipes,
(excluding equipment which is to be re-used) etc.), liquid suspensions of nanoparticles and
must be disposed of in the same manner as the any material from which nanoparticles could
chemical itself. detach from the surface (a friable matrix
 Pipette tips (which are not sharp enough to involving nanomaterials or with nanoparticles
puncture skin) can typically be placed into the attached to the surface) should not be
same container the chemical waste is collected disposed in the regular trash or via a drain.
in. Disposal lab coats and larger items which
become contaminated can be sealed in a bag,  Nanoparticle wastes should be:
tied closed, and then managed (labeling, etc.) as
a chemical waste container.

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 CHEMICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT
o Collected in the same way as hazardous o Preserve specimens in ethanol
chemical wastes (in tightly closed instead of formaldehyde which is
containers free of leaks and cracks). much more toxic
o Labeled o Use non-halogenated solvents in
 ‘Hazardous Waste’ and place of halogenated solvents
‘Nanoparticle Waste’, wherever possible to reduce toxicity
 The name of the base material and disposal costs
(carbon, metal, etc.) and for o Use sodium hypochlorite instead of
solutions the name of the liquid dichromate
solvent, o Use ‘SYBR safe’ or other DNA gel
 A statement of hazard: ‘toxic’ stain instead of ethidium bromide
(nanoparticle) and to any hazard o Substitute F-TEDA-B54 or other
associated with the base product in place of fluorinating
material or solvent (‘ignitable’, agents
for example). o Use scintillation cocktails which are
o Removed from the laboratory by non toluene/xylene based
scheduling a pickup through the EHS o Eliminate metal catalysts whenever
hazardous chemical waste program. practical, even if it means longer
experimentation times
WASTE MINIMIZATION o Purchase chemicals pre-mixed or in
Effective management is the key to minimizing the risks the desired concentration to avoid
associated with hazardous chemical waste. unnecessary experimental steps
and un-needed chemical stores
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT o Substitution of ethanol in place of
 Maintain an up-to-date inventory (to avoid methanol in experiments can often
re-purchasing existing materials and to provide more waste management
understand usage patterns) options.
 Only purchase the amount of chemical you
will need in the short term. RECYCLING
 Dispose of outdated or unwanted chemicals  If your research relies on a large quantity of
immediately. Peroxide-forming chemicals, a specific solvent EHS can help you
become more dangerous over time. It is evaluate a benchtop solvent recycling
much safer and much less expensive to get system.
rid of ether that does not have significant  If digital image processing is not possible,
peroxide formation. work with EHS to set up silver recovery and
 Label all chemical containers, regardless of recycling for your darkroom.
what’s inside. Unknown chemical wastes are
extremely expensive to dispose of. MIXING WASTE STREAMS
 Only purchase cylinders from companies  Flammable liquids are the most cost-
who will pick them up when empty. effective waste stream to dispose of. Avoid
mixing halogenated solvents, metals or
SCALING AND SUBSTITUTION other hazardous materials with flammable
 Consider microscale experiments liquid wastes.
 Avoid unnecessary dilutions  Wastes containing heavy metals should not
 Substitute less hazardous materials into be combined with any other waste streams.
experiments, for example:  Mercury wastes should be kept separate
o Use biodegradable detergents from all other waste streams.
instead of toxic, chromium-based
cleaners
o Use latex paints and coatings
instead of oil-based
o Use non-mercury thermometers
o Select non-mercury preservatives,
and choose products such as
antibodies which have been
manufactured using non-mercury
preservatives

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