Prudent Practices for Disposal of Chemicals from Laboratories

302 Pages·2003·14.34 MB·English

Prudent Practices
for Disposal
of Chemicals from
La bora tories
Committee on Hazardous Substances
in the Laboratory
Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics,
and Resources
National Research Council
NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Washington, D.C. 1983
National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20418
NOTICE. The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing
~
Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils
of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the
Institute of Medicine The members of the committee responsible for this report were
chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures
approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy
of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine
The National Research Council was established by the National Academy of Sciences in
1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's
purposes of furthering knowledge and of advising the federal government The Council
operates in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy under the au-
thority of its congressional charter of 1863, which establishes the Academy as a private,
nonprofit, self-governing membership corporation. The Council has become the principal
operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy
of Engineering in the conduct of their services to the government, the public, and the
scientific and engineering communities It is administered jointly by both Academies and
the Institute of Medicine The National Academy of Engineering and the Institute of
Medicine were established in 1964 and 1970, respectively, under the charter of the National
Academy of Sciences
This material is based on work supported by the National Institutes of Health, the National
Science Foundation, and the Environmental Protection Agency under Grant No PRM-
8120234, Amendment No 1 and Amendment No 2; the American Chemical Society,
and the Chemical Manufacturers Association
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Main entry under title:
Prudent practices for disposal of chemicals from
laboratories.
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
1. Chemical laboratories-Waste disposal.
I. National Research Council (US.). Committee on
First Printing, August 1983
Hazardous Substances in the Laboratory.
Second Printing, August 1984
QD51.P77 1983 542l.028'9 83-13211 Third Printing, August 1985
Fourth Printing, January 1987
ISBN 0-309-03390-X
Copyright 8 1983 by the National Academy of Sciences
No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic
process, or in the form of a phonographic recording, nor may it be stored in a retrieval
system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private use, without written per-
mission from the publisher, except for the purposes of official use by the United States
Government.
Printed in the United States of America
COMMITTEE ON HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES IN THE
LABORATORY
ROBERTA . ALBERTYM, assachusetts Institute of Technology,
Chairman
EDWIND . BECKERN, ational Institutes of Health
LARRYI . BONE,D ow Chemical U.S.A.
ALAIND ECLEVE,S tanford University
MARGARECT . ETTER, 3M Company
IRVINGH. GOLDBERGH, arvard Medical School
CLAYTONH ATHAWAYM, onsanto Company
BLAINEC . MCKUSICKW, ilmington, Delaware
JOHNF . MEISTERS, outhern Illinois University
WILLIAMG . MIKELLE, .I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc.
ADELF . SAROFIMM, assachusetts Institute of Technology
WILLIAMP . SCHAEFERC, alifornia Institute of Technology
ALFREDW . SHAW,S hell Development Company
FAYM . THOMPSONU, niversity of Minnesota
P. CHRISTIANV OGEL,B ASF Wyandotte Corporation
KENNETHL . WILLIAMSONM, ount Holyoke College
Subcommittee on Generation, Classification, and Storage
LARRYI . BONE,D ow Chemical U.S.A.
WILLIAMG . MIKELLE, .I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc.
Subcommittee on Small-Scale Combustors
ADELF . SAROFIMM, assachusetts Institute of Technology
ALFREDW . SHAW,S hell Development Company
Subcommittee on Landfills
FAYM . THOMPSONU, niversity of Minnesota
MARGARETC . ETTER, 3M Company
Subcommittee on Other Options
JOHNF . MEISTERS, outhern Illinois University
KENNETHL . WILLIAMSONM, ount Holyoke College
Subcommittee on Off-Site Transportation
CLAYTONH ATHAWAYM, onsanto Company
WILLIAMP . SCHAEFERC, alifornia Institute of Technology
iii
Subcommittee on Wastes from Biomedical Laboratories
BLAINEC . MCKUSICKW, ilmington, Delaware
EDWIND . BECKER,N ational Institutes of Health
IRVINGH . GOLDBERGH, arvard Medical School
Subcommittee on Disposal Procedures for Specific Laboratory
Chemicals
BLAINEC . MCKUSICKW, ilmington, Delaware
IRVINL . KLUNDTA, ldrich Chemical Company
KENNETHL . WILLIAMSONM, ount Holyoke College
Subcommittee on Activities by Other Organizations (including Europe)
P. CHRISTIANV OGEL,B ASF Wyandotte Corporation
ALAIND ECLEVE, Stanford University
Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources
GERHARTF RIEDLANDEBRro, okhaven National Laboratory
Commission on Life Sciences
RONALDW . ESTABROOKU, niversity of Texas Health Science Center
NRC Staff
WILLIAMS PINDELS, tudy Director
ROBERTM . JOYCE,C onsultant
PEGGYJ . POSEY,S tuff Associate
WENDYL . BAKER,A dministrative Secretary
NANCYH . DOYLE,S ecretary
iv
BOARD ON CHEMICAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGY
JAMESL . KINSEYM, assachusetts Institute of Technology
ALANS CHRIESHEIME, xxon Research and Engineering Company
ANDREASA CRIVOS,S tanford University
ALLENJ . BARD,U niversity of Texas at Austin
FREDB ASOLON, orthwestern University
STEPHENJ . BENKOVICP, ennsylvania State University
R. STEPHENB ERRY,U niversity of Chicago
F. ALBERTC OTTON, Texas A&M University
DAVIDA . EVANS,C alifornia Institute of Technology
ROBERTE . NAYLORR, ohm and Haas Company
GEORGEC . PIMENTELU,n iversity of California, Berkeley
NORMANS UTIN,B rookhaven National Laboratory
BARRYM . TROST,U niversity of Wisconsin, Madison
EDELW ASSERMANE,. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Inc.
Commission on Physical Sciences, Mathematics, and Resources
GERHARTF RIEDLANDERB, rookhaven National Laboratory
HOWARDE. SIMMONSJ,r ., E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company,
Inc.
Ex-Officio Member
HERBERTFR IEDMAN,C hairman, Commission on Physical Sciences,
Mathematics, and Resources
NRC Staff
WILLIAMS PINDELE, xecutive Secretary
V
COMMISSION ON PHYSICAL SCIENCES, MATHEMATICS,
AND RESOURCES
HERBERTF RIEDMANN, ational Research Council, Co-Chairman
ROBERTM . WHITE,U niversity Corporation for Atmospheric
Research, Co-Chairman
STANLEYI. AUERBACHO, ak Ridge National Laboratory
ELKANR . BLOUT,H arvard Medical School
WILLIAMB ROWDERP, rinceton University
BERNARDF . BURKE,M assachusetts Institute of Technology
HERMANC HERNOFFM, assachusetts Institute of Technology
WALTERR . ECKELMANSNoh, io Petroleum Company
JOSEPHL . FISHER,O ffice of the Governor, Commonwealth of
Virginia
JAMESC . FLETCHERU, niversity of Pittsburgh
WILLIAMA . FOWLERC,a lifornia Institute of Technology
GERHARTF RIEDLANDERB, rookhaven National Laboratory
EDWARAD. FRIEMANS,c ience Applications, Inc.
EDWARD . GOLDBERGS, cripps Institution of Oceanography
KONRADB . KRAUSKOPFS,t anford University
CHARLESJ . MANKINO, klahoma Geological Survey
WALTERH . MUNK,U niversity of California, San Diego
NORTONN ELSONN, ew York University Medical Center
DANIELA . OKUN,U niversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
GEORGEE . PAKE,X erox Research Center
CHARLESK . REED, National Research Council
HOWARED. SIMMONSJ,R ., E.I. du Pont de Nemours &
Company, Inc.
HAITEN S . YODER,J R., Carnegie Institution of Washington
RAPHAELG . KASPER,E xecutive Director
vii
’
8
Preface
Prudent Practices for Handling Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories,*
published under the aegis of the National Academy of Sciences, includes
brief sections on disposal of chemicals and wastes from laboratories
(Chapter 11, Sections E, F, and G). During the latter stage of the prep-
aration of that report, the initial regulations on management of hazard-
ous waste, prepared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
under the authority of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA), were made effective (19 November 1980). In June 1981 an
ad hoc planning group organized by the Assembly of Mathematical and
Physical Sciences of the National Research Council (NRC) concluded
that many laboratories-academic, government, and industrial-were
having substantial problems in understanding and complying with these
complex regulations. This group recommended that the NRC undertake
a study of the disposal of chemicals from laboratories, to deal with the
subject in greater detail, by assessing the impact of the EPA RCRA
regulations on laboratories, by developing guidelines for laboratories in
the disposal of chemicals, and by recommending changes in laboratory
procedures and in regulations that would simplify the disposal of chem-
icals from laboratories in ways that would be safe and environmentally
acceptable.
The procedures and recommendations were to be framed for labo-
ratory operations, where many types of chemicals are used in relatively
ix
X Preface
small quantities, and were not to be generally applicable to operations
such as manufacturing, where chemicals are used on a large scale.
~~
Funding for the study was obtained from private and government
sources, and a parent committee and eight subcommittees broadly rep-
resentative of academic, government, and industrial laboratories, both
large and small, were constituted. The experience of the individuals on
these committees is reflected in the guidelines and recommendations in
this report. Moreover, to get a broader range of opinion from laboratory
workers and managers, for whom the report is written, draft copies were
distributed to a number of organizations and individuals concerned with
disposal of chemicals and waste from laboratories. Their comments and
suggestions have been considered in preparing the final report.
The committee is pleased to acknowledge assistance from many peo-
ple who made important contributions to the study, but the committee
is solely responsible for any errors in the report. The study was initiated
while Theodore L. Cairns was Chairman of the NRC Office of Chemistry
and Chemical Technology, and he provided broad guidance. Special
note should be made of the contributions of Robert M. Joyce, technical
consultant, who, in addition to his technical input, organized the material
from the various subcommittees and put the report in its final form.
The committee is also indebted to William C. Drinkard, who wrote the
sections on disposal of inorganic and organo-inorganic chemicals in
Chapter 6 . William Spindel, Executive Secretary of the Board on Chem-
ical Sciences and Technology, made many contributions to the devel-
opment and execution of the study. We would also like to acknowledge
the contributions made by Peggy J. Posey, Wendy L. Baker, and the
typist, Nancy H. Doyle.
ROBERTA . ALBERTYC, hairman
Committee on Hazardous Substances
in the Laboratory
*NRC Committee on Hazardous Substances in the Laboratory, Prudent Practices for
Handling Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories, National Academy Press, Washington,
D.C., 1981. ~~~~~~~- ~~~