Is There a Bomb in Your Laboratory?

Picric Acid (a.k.a. 2-hydroxy-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene, CAS Number 88-89-1) can be a useful laboratory reagent; however, dry picric acid is a shock-sensitive explosive capable of releasing energy on a level similar to dynamite. In a confined area such as a lab, the force of a picric acid explosion could be devastating; due to its unstable nature, dry picric acid is forbidden from being transported in the U.S.

The bottle of picric acid shown at right was recently discovered in a University building - the material was very old, very dry, and potentially unstable; the bottle also had a metal lid which introduced the possibility of metal picrate formation, another explosive.
In addition to picric acid, other potential bombs may be found in containers of peroxide forming chemicals such as ethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, and others. Implementing strong inventory controls within your laboratory can minimize nasty surprises and the expenditure of thousands of dollars to have explosives stabilized and removed.

If you possess picric acid, you have a responsibility to keep the material wet, in good condition, and have EH&S remove it when you no longer plan to use it.

If you purchase peroxide forming chemicals, you have a responsibility to apply a peroxide former label (free from EH&S) and dispose of the material through EH&S within the recommended time limit.

Free Food, Free Door Prizes, Useful Info...

Now that we have your attention, EH&S is offering its Laboratory Health and Safety Seminar from 1:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, September 3, 1998, in Room 201 of Manning Hall.

Designed to help laboratory workers avoid harmful effects of hazardous chemicals, this seminar also helps meet information and training requirements of the OSHA "Laboratory Standard."

Come see why this presentation continues to receive excellent evaluations from attendees; enjoy some cookies, some caffeine, and maybe win a prize!

EPA Increases Prosecution of Violators

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) increased enforcement during 1997. Penalties and fines were assessed in the amount of $264,000,000. In addition, 278 criminal cases and 426 civil cases were referred to the Department of Justice.

EH&S recently conducted its first Hazardous Waste Awareness Class. Topics covered included a regulatory overview, hazardous waste recognition and identification, container management, and waste minimization techniques.

If you generate hazardous waste or have the potential for generation, please call 2044 to schedule this training for your personnel. (Integrated Microscopy Center folks bravely attended the pilot class; you will receive an even better class as a result of their comments and suggestions).

Items like paint thinner, pesticides, and other goodies are just as hazardous at home as they are at work, and they are just as unacceptable in the landfill. But what do you do with them?

Shelby County gives residents the opportunity to dispose of household hazardous waste through the "Annual Household Hazardous Waste Event." Watch for an insert in your MLGW bill announcing where and when to drop off those hazardous chemicals that accumulate around the house.

Watch for the next event and clean out those unwanted chemicals from your garage, storage building, or under the kitchen sink.

The cost of generating hazardous waste on campus is estimated at $69,486 for calendar year 1997 according to a cost analysis prepared by EH&S. This cost included only $28,819.95 for disposal; the remaining costs were due to internal labor, fees to regulatory agencies, supplies, etc.

Academic departments contributed $19,685 in labor; EH&S contributed $17,257 in labor. The University maintained 11 hazardous waste generation sites in 1997, requiring payment of $2,550 to regulatory agencies in annual fees; the number of sites recently rose to 12.

The May/June 1998 issue of the American Chemical Society (ACS) publication Chemical Health & Safety includes an interview with Glen Seaborg, co-discoverer of plutonium, on "working safely at the frontiers of science." The article discusses topics such as Seaborg's advocacy for health and safety issues within ACS and his pioneering methods to protect scientists working with plutonium.

Physical Plant has installed many new emergency showers and eye washes across campus. Also, EH&S is in the process of flushing and testing all emergency showers and plumbed eye washes as part of its annual testing program (squeeze bottles are not acceptable emergency eye washes). Remember to flush the eye wash in your lab on a weekly basis.

Ansell Edmont has released the Second Edition of its SpecWare® software. Provided on CD-ROM with a printed user guide, the free software provides guidance for selecting chemical-resistant hand protection. To get your free copy of this software, contact Ansell Edmont at www.ansell-edmont.com, or call 800-800-0444, or write them at P. O. Box 6000, Coshocton, OH 43812.

As part of our on-going total quality management program, EH&S continues to add new services and improve processes. Some of the more recent improvements include offering a greater variety of training programs and creation of an updated home page on the World Wide Web (http://www.people.memphis.edu/~ehas/).

The new EH&S Home Page is designed to make information more accessible and offer a greater variety of information. New on the Home Page are more chemical catalogs, lists of hazardous waste, the DOT Emergency Response Guide, biosafety links, information about training availability, and much more.

The new Home Page even offers the opportunity to make simple radioactive material and chemical inventory changes on-line, and you may add/delete personnel requiring radiation dosimetry service. We hope to refine these features to reduce the need for you to write memos and play "telephone tag."

The last issue of this newsletter contained news of the unfortunate death of a graduate student at Emory University's Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center due to zoonotic disease. As a result of that death, Emory has been fined $105,300 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Three new lab safety videos have been received from Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). "Mammalian Cell Culture Hazards," "Assessing Risks of Toxic Chemicals," and "X-ray Diffraction Hazards" are targeted for personnel working in bio-medical or molecular biology environments. Each video requires less than 10 minutes to view. They provide a great, quick way to heighten safety awareness during a lab meeting.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued an information notice to alert licensees of radioactive contamination incidents resulting from inadequate surveys. These incidents reportedly involved radiopharmacies receiving contaminated packages from client facilities. Personnel at those facilities failed to survey packages following spills and released the packages for transport with removable contamination present.

Adequate and timely surveys of radioisotope work areas are required under conditions of our radioactive material licenses and University procedures found in the "Radiation Safety Manual."

EH&S has several size "small" vinyl examination gloves available for transfer to another University department. They are free to the first caller (4672).

Alton Simpson, Manager of EH&S

David Plichta, Environmental Protection Specialist

Bob Byington, Laboratory Safety Specialist

Ronald W. MacDonald, Research Assistant