1. School Laboratory Chemical Cleanouts and Teacher Trainings
Dave Waddell
Waddell Environmental LLC

2. Why did I work with schools?

3. Because they can have a bewildering variety of hazardous chemicals
And the staff have very little understanding of their hazards and proper management

4. Hazard Classes I’ve found
Flammable liquids
Flammable solids
Substances liable to spontaneous combustion
Water-reactive compounds
Toxic solids
Toxic liquids
Corrosive acids
Corrosive bases
Flammable gases
Non-flammable non-toxic gases
Toxic gases
Explosives, most subdivisions
Oxidizers
Organic peroxides
Radioactive compounds

5. I’ve been doing school cleanouts for about 21 years now
Rehab the Lab project coordinator in King County, WA
Contractor/consultant as Waddell Environmental LLC 2002-present

6. My objectives
Get unneeded and dangerous chemicals out of secondary schools & community colleges
Educate teachers and administrators on environmental health & safety/waste disposal
Create a lasting legacy of safer schools

7. School Chemical Cleanout Report South Anonymous High School DATE
Dave Waddell
Waddell Environmental LLC

8. Notes
The teacher, Mr. Anonymous, was very cooperative during the visit and open to my recommendations
The stockroom had no dedicated exhaust ventilation
Many very exotic organic chemicals were likely donated to the school in the past

9. Science Stockroom

10. Science Stockroom Close to 1,000 chemical containers were in storage
Acids were stored in the classroom in a badly corroded metal cabinet
Over 90% of chemical containers were segregated by hazard class
The shelves were very full and chemicals were stored well above reach of the teachers

11. Chemical Safety Practices
This school lacks the required OSHA chemical hygiene plan
The safety shower must be tested annually and a log kept
Eye washes must be tested weekly and a log kept
The fume hood functioned well
The school should replace the metal acid cabinet with a SciMatCo coated wooden acid cabinet
The stockroom had enhanced exhaust ventilation
The safety shower did not meet OSHA standards

12. Classes of Chemicals Found
Corrosive acids and bases
Toxic solids and liquids
Water-reactives
Flammable liquids
Mercury compounds
Air reactives
Radioactives
Oxidizers

13. Potentially Explosive Compounds
Several potentially explosive compounds were found
Tollen’s silver reagent – may contain silver nitride
A dinitro-organic compound (red capped container below)
Tert-butyl-peroxybenzoate (in Biology stockroom refrigerator)
None pose an immediate threat, but Clean Harbors’ staff should evaluated them for disposability
More photos on next page

14. Potentially explosive compounds

15. Chemical Storage
Most chemicals were properly segregated by hazard class.
The stockroom is kept locked when not in use
Corrosive hydroxide bases were stored on an open shelf
Flammables were also stored on open shelves
A flammables cabinet should be installed

16. Incompatible chemicals together
Aluminum powder violently reacts in contact with bromine creating an extremely exothermic fire
Oxidizers were stored by flammable solids
Oxidizing acids were stored with flammable acetic acid
Flammable alcohols were stored in a non-explosion-proof refrigerator
All these situations were corrected during the visit

17. Mercury Ten mercury thermometers were found
13 mercury compounds were set aside for disposal

18. Known/Probable Carcinogens Found on Site source: http://bit.ly/aJI6ht
para-Dichlorobenzene
Arsenic compounds
Cadmium compounds
Chromates and dichromates
Nickel compounds
Lead compounds
Carbon tetrachloride
Chloroform
Methylene chloride

19. Other highly hazardous compounds
Hydrofluoric and perchloric acids
Elemental bromine
Mercaptoethanol
Sodium azide
Carbon disulfide
Yellow and red phosphorus
Chlorine water

20. Radioactive materials

21. Degraded compounds and containers

22. Chemical Disposal
560 containers of chemicals plus 10 mercury thermometers were separated on the shelves or in boxes for disposal
Radioactives will be collected by ODOH

23. So what’s the deal? Why aren’t schools in better shape?
Many of them are, but many aren’t
Can’t tell by looking at them
Can’t assume new schools don’t have them

24. What prevents them from improving?

25. Lack of environmental health & safety training
Photo © Dave Waddell. Used with permission.

26. Teacher training issues
Proper chemical handling, storage and disposal practices are not in the teacher training curriculum
Administrators believe teachers are trained
School budgets are really tight
Teachers already put in long hours

27. Few lab-savvy agency inspectors
King County photo by Ned Ahrens

28. Laboratories are rarely targeted
They’re relatively small waste generators
Administrators are very shy of bad publicity, so they don’t request assistance
Major issues are mostly potential problems with containers of strangely named chemicals

29. Common school chemical issues
Lack of awareness of problems
Inadequate safety equipment & ventilation
Degraded chemicals and containers
Improper chemical storage, handling & disposal
Non-compliance with OSHA training and documentation requirements

30. Labels
Name matches MSDS
Primary hazard
Photos: Dave Waddell

31. Every chemical container must have a proper label

32. Not appropriate, helpful or accurate
Photo: Dave Waddell

33. Photo: Dave Waddell

34. Every school with a laboratory must have a chemical hygiene plan

36. Chemical hygiene plan components
Safe work practices
Methods to keep exposures below limits
Training, medical consultation, hazard ID, respirator use and record keeping
Task and chemical specific training

37. The hardest part of the process
Assigning names to roles and responsibilities
Ask who’s responsible, this happens…
Photo © Babak Fakhamzadeh.

38. Priority airborne contaminants

39. Chemical exposures to address in plan
Acids
Formaldehyde
Lead
Hexavalent chromium
Mercury
Metal dusts & fumes
Volatile solvents

41. Chromates & dichromates Corrosive, oxidizing and carcinogenic

42. Chromium VI exposure reduction
Don’t use chromates, chromium
Avoid working with fine-grained chromium
Buy prediluted chromate solutions
Use the hood when working with chromates
Wear PPE when working with chromium
Wash hands after working with chromium

43. Other toxic metals Antimony Arsenic Beryllium Cadmium Cobalt Nickel
Selenium

44. Metal Arsenic, Cadmium Silver Lead Cobalt Selenium Antimony, Barium
8-hr exposure limit
Arsenic, Cadmium
0.005 mg/m3
Silver
0.01
Lead
0.05
Cobalt
0.10
Selenium
0.20
Antimony, Barium
0.50
Chromium, Copper, Nickel
1.0
Tin
2.0
Manganese
5.0
Iron
10.0
Titanium, Zinc, Aluminum
15.0

45. Photo: Dave Waddell

47. Do you want to keep the lead chloride?

48. The answer is often yes because that was the wrong question!

49. No zip code? Purchased before 1964

50. Six kilos of ammonium nitrate

51. How much ammonium nitrate do you use in a year?
5 grams/year
1,000 grams/kilo
Each kilo = 200 year supply
They have 6 kilos!

52. Assess their actual rate of usage Newest bottle dated 1979 Note two-digit zip code
Photo: Dave Waddell

53. Chemical storage issues & fixes

54. Four Primary Goals Don’t store what you won’t use
Keep things from degrading
Keep incompatibles apart
Protect human health & environment
Photo by Becky Wehrman – Used with permission

55. Degraded cabinets

56. Degraded and leaking containers

57. Spills not cleaned up

59. Keep Chemicals Secure Under Lock & Key

60. Hmmm… may be a problem here

61. No chemical storage by drains
Photo: Dave Waddell

62. Separate incompatible chemicals

63. Keep acids away from hydroxides

64. Separate water reactives and alcohols

65. Separate oxidizers and flammables

66. Put glacial acetic acid in flam cabinet

67. Troubles With Bleach? Great disinfectant Not highly toxic
Doesn’t play well with some other chemicals

68. Bleach & Ammonia = Poison Gas

69. Bleach plus hydrochloric acids = toxic chlorine gas

70. Toxic gas generator Sulfuric acid + hydrochloric acid = chlorine
Photo ©Dave Waddell. Used with permission.

71. Phosphoric acid Hydrochloric acid Hydrobromic acid Nitric acid
Acid Storage Cabinet
Non-metallic
Vented
Top shelf
Hydrochloric acid
Phosphoric acid
Hydrobromic acid
Bottom Shelf
Sulfuric acid
Nitric acid
(in containment)

72. Check condition of containers

73. King County photo by Dave Waddell

75. Flammable Storage in Labs

76. Combustible Liquids Only No solids, no water reactives
Upside down
Tipped bottle
Unknown solid
Photo: Dave Waddell

78. No Flammables in Refrigerators Check for alcohol in biology room freezer

79. Metal acid cabinets look nice
Photo: Dave Waddell

80. $1,300 worth of rust in 7 years

81. SciMatCo cabinets are metal free
More expensive, but last a much longer time
Identify as Corrosive Acid or Corrosive Base
Photo: Dave Waddell

82. Cap eaters Nitric acid Liquid hydroxides
Compromised containers spill when tipped
Photos by Dave Waddell and Becky Wehrman – Used with permission

83. Nitric acid oxidizes caps in 7 to 10 years

84. Nitric acid generates nitrogen dioxide

85. Hazardous waste disposal

86. RCRA hazardous waste cheat sheet
Must be combined to be accurate
Calcium + Chloride = CaCl2

87. Treatment by generator options
Inorganic acids & bases
Neutralize to pH 6 to 9, then flush to sewer
Aqueous metals can be evaporated
Remaining solids are disposed as hazardous waste

88. Evaporation of aqueous metals Combine them all in one jug
Pay by the drum – use bag liners

89. Once baggie’s full, zip closed and put in here
When this is full, it’s time for disposal
Photo: Dave Waddell

90. They must keep a log if they treat their wastes
Header describes process
Waste, initials, date

91. How long does a visit take?
Depends on your objectives!
My school cleanout visits are 4 hours/high school and 2 hours/middle school

93. Questions? waddellenviro@yahoo.com