Guidelines for care & Use of Dry Solvent Stills [Example]

In addition to consulting those chemicals listed as hazardous laboratory air contaminants in
OSHA's subpart Z – list:
(again, see http://www.osha-slc.gov/OshStd_toc/OSHA_Std_toc_1910_SUBPART_Z.html),hazardous
chemicals can generally be identified by reading the MSDS sheet for the particular chemical. These MSDS
sheets are located in the stockroom, room # 110, Salem Hall. This room is accessible 24 hours a day
(via the Salem Hall Submaster Key “SM” issued to all graduate students and all Research
Undergraduate students in the event the door is locked). Health evaluation studies, epidemiological
data, and toxicity assessments listed on these sheets clearly state whether or not a particular chemical is
hazardous, based on the above definitions.
Two other special categories of hazardous chemicals are addressed in Salem Hall's Chemical
Hygiene Plan. These are particularly hazardous chemicals and a list of about 30 chemicals for which
OSHA has "Substance Specific Standards" (29 CFR 1910. 1001-1050). They require more involved
handling procedures and more elaborate means of containment, such as using "designated areas", i.e.,
special fume hoods and glove boxes, all of which are described specifically on page # 48 of this manual.
“Substance Specific Standard” chemicals are usually carcinogens and can generally be handled the same
way as one would handle carcinogens regarded as “particularly hazardous chemicals.” In any case, the
laboratory manager will tell you whether you have any such carcinogens in your chemical inventory.
Consult other sources of toxicity information kept in the chemistry department Stockroom,
room # 110, such as Lenga, Robert E. Sigma-Aldrich Library of Chemical Safety Data, 2nd edition.
Milwaukee, WI: Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, 1988. Read Chapter 3 of Prudent Practices, 2nd edition,
pages 29-60. In particular, follow the "Quick Guide to Risk Assessment For Hazardous Chemicals"
information found on page 47.
A very good reference for toxic hazards for particular chemicals is kept in the Chemistry
Department Stockroom, room # 110, for your reference:
Patnaik, Pradyot. A Comprehensive Guide to the Hazardous Properties of Chemical
Substances. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1992.
Consult the following book for hazards due to reactivity for particular chemicals, which is kept in
the Chemistry Department Stockroom for your reference:
Urben, P.G., ed. Bretherick’s Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards, 4th edition.
Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd., 1995.
Another good hazardous chemical reference is:
Lewis, Richard J., Sr. Hazardous Chemicals Desk Reference, 3rd edition. New York:
Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1993.
See the “Health Hazards of Some Common Chemicals” handout for undergraduate Organic
Chemistry labs listed in the training section of this manual for a good summary of toxicity of broad classes
of chemicals.
One other book you will find useful in preparing SOP‟s for Organic reaction setup techniques,
elaborate glassware descriptions, etc., is Harwood, L.M. and Moody, C.J. Experimental Organic
Chemistry: Principles and Practice. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1989. Dr. Mark Welker
has a copy.
The American Chemical Society sometimes publishes letters from chemists regarding unpublished
chemical accident reports, some of which involve accidents in “cutting edge” or current academic and
industrial chemical research. See the Chemical & Engineering News “Safety Notes Index” (1976-1989) for
an index of past issues (a hardcopy of which appears in the Departmental Chemical Hygiene Plan in the
stockroom, room 110), and the following ACS web site for more current issues.
You must be an ACS member to access this site. http://pubs.acs.org/cen/safety/index.html
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