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

chronically toxic chemicals, with letter designation of “C” for known carcinogens and “c” for suspected
carcinogens. This system is in place so that you will be able to immediately recognize all carcinogens,
teratogens / mutagens, and extremely hazardous chemicals in your lab when you review your MSDS
inventory
The procedures for working with these three types of particularly hazardous chemicals are
described below.
2. INIMICAL CHEMICALS: RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
* Work only in a "designated area" when handling carcinogens, reproductive toxins, or extremely
hazardous chemicals. The "designated area" may be an undergraduate lab fume hood, a research lab hood,
a glove box, or, at the very minimum, any well ventilated area judged to be appropriate to the severity of
danger by your teacher or research director. An alternative strategy would be to refer to the entire area or
laboratory as the designated area, if such substances are constantly moved back and forth throughout the
room.
* Label the designated area. Do not allow access to the area by anyone other than authorized personnel.
Storage areas should also be labeled specifically for storage of carcinogens and reproductive toxins. When
possible, store such chemicals in hood cabinets. Extremely hazardous chemicals can be stored on lab
shelves, but should be handled only in designated areas.
* Use the smallest amount of the chemical necessary for completion of your work. Do not leave bottles
or other containers open. Close them immediately after use.
* Always wear safety glasses and always wear gloves when the slightest possibility exists that these
chemicals may come into skin contact. Heavier protection such as face-shields or safety shields should be
available if needed.
* Cease all activity with these chemicals when hoods malfunction entirely. Make every effort to avoid
breathing fumes from these chemicals
* Wash hands before leaving laboratory.
* Do not place bottles of chemicals in harm’s way in congested work areas without adequate room to
maneuver.
* Read pages 90-93 of Prudent Practices, 2nd edition for further elaboration.
* Also, you must list procedures for safely removing highly toxic waste, such as EPA acute P-
Listed waste (http://www.epa.gov/docs/epacfr40/chapt-I.info/subch-I/40P0261.pdf – go to Part 261.33)
or any other broad category of frequently encountered classes of very toxic waste generated in your
work area or hood. An example would be how to package spent mercury from an organometallic
reaction or how to dispose of contaminated Silica-gel from a column chromatography experiment.
Use the entire chapter of the “Procedures for Handling Hazardous Chemical Waste” beginning in
section III.C of this manual as your basic guide.
* Lastly, you must also state how you would de-contaminate used equipment and bench top
surfaces which have come in contact with very toxic waste spilled and/or used with the equipment,
(See Dr. Fishbein’s following example procedure for decontamination of carcinogenic diazoate and
nitrosamine residues). You should indicate how you will remove traces of it from bench tops if
spilled, how to place it in containers without endangering yourself or others, etc.
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