Where does chemical waste go

when it leaves my area?

• Fill out Chemical Waste pick-up

request form on web
(www.ehs.psu.edu)
• EHS staff picks up waste in less than a
week
• Waste is stored at central facility for
less than 90 days and picked up by
Hazardous waste Company
 Internal Audit
• Audit your waste program once a year to
verify compliance
• Supervisor and Dept. head must sign audit
LABORATORY SAFETY AUDIT

_____Designated Chemical Accumulation area, room and bldg.

_____Names of accumulation area overseer and principle investigator

_____Chemical accumulation review log readily available

_____updated weekly with signature

_____chemicals labeled
_____chemicals segregated
_____chemicals not leaking
_____total vol. does not exceed 55 gal.

_____Laboratory chemical review SOP available

_____Laboratory chemicals are reviewed annually as per SOP

_____All persons handling chemicals trained within 90 days of hire.

_____Training records available in lab.

_____Training records sent to Department Head.

________________________________________________________________________
Name of Principal Investigator (print) Signature of Principal Investigator

______________________________
Date of Audit

_______________________________________________________________________
Name of Department Head (print) Signature of Department Head
 Documentation
• Waste Management Manual available on
web, www.ehs.psu.edu
• Manual must contain
– location of accumulation area
– form documenting waste area oversight
– form documenting annual inventory of chemicals
– copies of training records
– audit form
Wastes with added precautions...

• Toxic - lead acetate, mercuric chloride, mixtures

containing > 0.5 ppm benzene
• Reactive - sodium metal, extremely dry picric
acid, some organic peroxides
• Corrosive (pH < 2 > 12.5) - nitric acid, aqueous
sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid
• Ignitable (flashpoints <140o) - acetone, xylene,
and acetonitrile
• Dioxins, PCBs, etc.
 Laboratory & Stockroom
Cleanouts

• Call EHS to do walk through if PI is

leaving
• Someone from area must assist
– EHS will sort, categorize, sewer, bulk &
neutralize
– Remaining chemicals entered on p-u request
Form
 Redistribution of Surplus
Chemicals

Sealed Containers Unsealed Containers

Age
Expiration Date Usable by Others
Good Shape Past History
Usable by Others Quality not Assured
Pure Products
If you would like to get on our mailing list or have
questions, please contact Kevin Myers at 814-865-
6391
 Disposition of Wastes …..

• Halogens, flammables, bulked into 55-

gallon drums and shipped
• Waste Chemicals - packaged and shipped for
disposal
• Surplus Chemicals - labeled, put on shelves,
advertised for redistribution

• ~$250,000 annual disposal costs

 SHARPS ….
What is a Sharp?
• Device that can cut or easily puncture the skin
• Unused, disinfected/contaminated: hypodermic
needles, razor blades, scalpel blades, lancets, syringes
and Pasteur pipettes
• Other contaminated infectious wastes: broken glass
vials, lab slides or fragile glass

Disposable Lab Glass?

• empty bottles, test tubes, uncontaminated broken
glassware, uncontaminated glass pipettes, other plastic
 Sharps Disposal ….

• Segregate from other wastes

• Place in rigid plastic boxes with tight-fitting
lids
– maroon 5 gallon barrels for non hazardous glass.
Sharps containers for infectious materials.
• Fill container only 3/4 full
• Materials must be autoclaved
• User/Lab takes infectious material containers
to building’s collection site (autoclave room)
 Infectious Wastes ….

Nothing that contains pathogens/human blood

can go to a landfill!!!!
– Infectious or biologically contaminated material
– Materials that have been used for recombinant
DNA work
2 Disposal Methods:
1. Autoclave and place in infectious waste barrel
2. For liquids, add bleach to 10% of total volume,
incubate 1 hour and pour down drain
 Hazardous Glass Disposal ...

• Disinfect ALL infectious waste

• Empty any hazardous
chemicals/drain liquids
• Dispose in glass disposal maroon
barrel.