Chemical material handling procedures

Sound practice dictates that storage tanks and process vessels containing hazardous chemicals be properly designed and used only for their intended purpose. They should also have, as a minimum, overflow alarms. Once these conditions are met, it remains to ensure the structural soundness of the containers, to enforce proper hazardous materials handling procedures, and to construct and maintain secondary containment and collection facilities (Shields 1980). 

Health Hazards Information - Information included are recommended personal protective equipment for hazard materials handling specialist, typical symptoms following exposure to the chemical, general first aid treatment procedures, and various toxicological information including toxicity by ingestion, inhalation and short term exposures. Additional information included are the liquid or solid irritant characteristics and odor threshold data. 

For the decomposition of organic materials, wet chemical methods are most frequently used. The wide acceptance of these methods is due to the multitude of decomposition reagents available, simple handling procedures and high sample throughput. The error sources listed above can largely be eliminated if wet chemical methods are properly handled. 

Ongoing training should consist of regularly scheduled drills and safety meetings in conjunction with supervisory reviews of industrial hygiene, materials handling, and emergency practices. In this manner, the procedures in effect always correspond to the chemicals and equipment in use. 

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are a means of communicating properties and safe-handling procedures to users of industrial and laboratory chemicals. 

In the same vein, certain waste-handling procedures, even those performed intermittently, can result in very serious contaminant exposure without proper precautions. Workers need to be instructed in the proper procedures for cleaning up spills and accumulated debris. Spilled materials can become airborne and pose an inhalation hazard. Spills and chemical process wastes may end up in the waste-water treatment facilities where they again can be volatilized into the air and result in unexpected worker exposure. 

Decontamination/Collection. Research operations should be analyzed to determine the types of waste, quantities of carcinogenic material, and handling procedures to be employed. All chemical carcinogens, including those contained in animal carcasses, should be deactivated, degraded if feasible, or packaged... 

One of the most common topics asked of those who work with the actinides relates to handling procedures. The radioactive nature of these elements does require the use of special facilities, processes, and precautions. However, working with radioactive elements in subcritical quantities is as safe, if not safer, than handling many of the toxic chemicals found in a typical synthetic laboratory. The primary advantage in handling radioactive material is the ease with which these elements can be detected. Unlike other toxic chemicals, for example, lead, thallium, arsenic, and so on, a simple survey (seconds) with a radiation detector will show if containment of the material has been lost, where it is, and approximately how much is present. With appropriate monitoring, virtually no uptake of radioactive material occurs, and if any personnel contamination does occur, it is quickly detected and treated. 

Testing procedures are available to determine if peroxides have formed by sampling outsides of containers however, they should only be conducted by persons with a chemical background and experience with the test procedures. The precautions taken for disposal of these materials should be the same as for any material that can be detonated by friction or shock. In general, the material should be carefully removed, using explosive handling procedures. 

Safety in carrying out the preparations is essential to experimenters and their co-workers. The Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all chemicals to be used must be reviewed for hazards and safe handling procedures. When in doubt about any matter in the MSDS, please consult the manufacturer or supplier. Also, seek the advice of an experienced chemist on any questions that you may have concerning safety. Be sure to follow the recommendations for personal protective equipment and always operate in a well-ventilated hood with proper shielding. 

Apart from the careful regulation of radioactive material handling, the main obstacle to more widespread application of these radioanalytical methods is that they involve chemical procedures for sample preparation. By examining the chemical procedures carefully, simpler methods may be found as has been demonstrated in substoichiometric radioactivation analysis and some cases of sutetoichio-metric chemical speciation. 

A point often neglected is the handling procedure between preparation of the surface and immersing the specimen in the test medium. For instance, oxide film formation on oxide-passive materials and or tarnishing layers on copper or iron alloys formed at this stage can influence the electrochenucal behaviour considerably these chemical changes on the surface depend on such factors as temperature, humidity and time [5]. 

Written procedures should be provided for all changes from one chemical reaction to another, and a comprehensive list of all products and raw materials handled, with their physical and chemical properties, should be kept on the plant. This is particularly relevant to batch plants manufacturing a range of products. If a product is made only infrequently, people who are new to the plant may be unfamiliar with it. (See also case histories Al 87-90, pages 191-192.)... 

Hazardous purchased chemicals are accompanied by detailed MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets), which contain information regarding their toxicity, safety handling procedures and the necessary precautions to be taken. These should be read carefully and filed for future reference. In addition, chemical management systems such as Chem-ChemWatch, which include information on hazards, handling and storage, are commercially available. There are a number of websites which provide selected safety information these include the Sigma-Aldrich website and other chemical websites, e.g. . 

Chemicals used in the quality control analyses in the shieided glove box (SGB) and ventilation hoods of the Quality Control Laboratory involve small (less than a liter) quantities of some acidic and basic chemicals, including ammonium thiocyanate, stannous chloride, sulfuric, nitric, and hydrochloric acids, ferric sulfate, carrier solutions, ethyl acetate, sodium nitrite, chloroform, sodium hydroxide, and potassium iodide. Material Safety Data Sheets for any processes implemented in the HCF are reviewed in accordance with the SNL ES H Manual to identify any carcinogens or other hazardous materials. Operations in the SGB for preparation of various Mo-99 product dilution samples would require a small bulk supply of sodium hydroxide (0.1 N NaOH). Quality control analysis sample preparation operations require small bulk supplies of the above chemicals. Workers performing quaiify control analysis use chemical handling procedures as required by the Sandia ES H Manual. 

Chlorine trifluoride reacts vigorously with water and most oxidizable substances at room temperature, frequently with immediate ignition. It reacts with most metals and metal oxides at elevated temperatures. In addition, it reacts with silicon-containing compounds and thus can support the continued combustion of glass, asbestos, and other such materials. Chlorine trifluoride forms explosive mixtures with water vapor, ammonia, hydrogen, and most organic vapors. The substance resembles elemental fluorine in many of its chemical properties and handling procedures, which include precautionary steps to prevent accidents. 

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