Spillage laboratory

Table 13.6 Equipment for treatment of small spillages, e.g. in a laboratory...

Oil spillages onto warm, absorbent materials, such as insulation, also have a limited life (see Sections 7.3.2 and 12.4.4). The oil soon decomposes to materials with a low auto-ignition temperature and self-ignites. As many insulation fires have started in this way, oil-soaked insulation should be removed without delay. Linseed oil ignites particularly easily. This has been known since at least 1925 nevertheless, in 1965 some cloths used to apply linseed oil to laboratory benches were not burned as directed but dropped into a waste bin. A fire started after a few hours and destroyed the laboratory [17J. Reference 18 lists substances that are liable to self-heat, and Reference 19 includes references to a number of incidents that have occuiTed involving substances as diverse as wood shavings, tobacco, milk powder, and soap powder. 

Mercury should not be left exposed in a laboratory. Reservoirs etc. should be covered with a layer of water or oil and, if practicable, the neck of the vessel plugged. The risk is increased by heating, e.g. due to spillage on a hot surface no glass blowing should therefore be done on mercury-contaminated glass. 

How did you get on You have probably found that there are a virtually unlimited number of uses for labels in a laboratory. What you actually put on a label of course depends on the purpose of the label. The golden rule is that the information on the label should be clear. This incidentally means that the label must be robust to exposure to sunlight or chemical spillages. 

The environmental impact of a new product needs to be assessed before it can be released for general use. Chemicals released into the environment can enter the food chain and be concentrated in plants and animals. Aquatic ecosystems are particularly sensitive, in this respect, since chemicals, when applied to agricultural land, can be transported in the ground water to rivers and then to the lakes, where they can accumulate in fish and plant life. The ecokinetic model presented here is based on a simple compartmental analysis and is based on laboratory ecosystem studies (Blau et ah, 1975). The model is useful in simulating the results of events, such as the accidental spillage of an agrochemical into a pond, where it is not ethical to perform actual experimental studies. 

A revised wall chart, with standardised disposal procedures for 396 toxic and hazardous chemicals, which is useful in the storeroom as well as in the laboratory [1], A guidance manual has been developed by EPA in the US to assist in the selection and use of sorbent materials to control industrial spillages of hazardous liquids [2],... 

Inadequate housekeeping controls in laboratories, process, or operating areas can result in process waste, leakage, and spillage accumulations that can lead to increased fire losses. Such accumulations are typically from one of several causes ... 

The canned, frozen samples were shipped to and returned from the cobalt-60 irradiation facility at the U.S. Army Natick Laboratories, Natick, Mass., packed in dry ice, and allowed to remain at — 80°C. for 2 weeks, then at — 20°C. for 2 weeks before thawing for analyses. This was done to permit reaction and slow thermalization of long half-life radicals at low temperatures, as well as to prevent spillage and thermal deterioration. 

Coupled with a general consideration for the safety of others, tidiness is a major factor in laboratory safety the laboratory must be kept clean and tidy at all times. Passageways between and around the benches and near exits must not be blocked with equipment or furniture. Floors must be kept in good condition to prevent slipping or tripping, i.e. they must be kept free from oil or water, and from any protrusion. Any spillage on a floor or bench should be cleaned up immediately. 

A drum of styrene oxide was punctured and the spillage absorbed into an hydrated silate absorbent, the combination swept up and drummed up for disposal. The drum became hot and started emitting copious white fumes. It was not possible to duplicate this behaviour in the laboratory unless acid or base catalyst was also present [1], Absorbents may be inert, epoxides are not but contain considerable strain energy which will be liberated by autoreaction or nucleophilic substitution by, e.g. water. Only a catalyst is needed neither silicates nor floor-sweepings can be guaranteed free of these [2]. 

Worker pesticide exposure which is primarily dermal can be acquired either as a result of accidental spillage or as a result of saturation of the clothing and penetration of the chemical through the fabric. Both laboratory and field data from these studies suggested that significant worker protection against... 

If such spillage does not happen in a controlled, near-absolute zero environment, the BEC will simply vaporize back into a gas and disappear. Near-absolute zero temperatures do not exist in nature and are difficult to create in the laboratory. But it can be done. 

Wear neoprene gloves,17 laboratory coat, and eye protection. Cover spill with a 1 1 1 mixture by weight of sodium carbonate or calcium carbonate, clay cat litter (bentonite), and sand. Scoop into a beaker or pail. In the fume hood, slowly add the acid mixture to a pail of cold water. When reaction ceases, neutralize with more sodium carbonate if necessary. When solids have settled, decant liquid into drain with 50 times its volume of water. Discard solid residue with normal refuse. Ventilate site of spillage well to evaporate remaining liquid and dispel vapor.18,19... 

Wear nitrile rubber gloves, laboratory coat, and goggles. Scoop the solid into a pail of water. Slowly add dry sodium carbonate to pH 7. The solution can be poured into the drain. The site of spillage should be washed thoroughly to remove all of the ammonium nitrate which may render organic matter (e.g., wood) dangerously explosive.32,33... 

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