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Date: Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:36:47 -0400
Reply-To: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Subject: 2 RE: [DCHAS-L] Disposal of butyl lithium
From: "Russ Phifer"
Date: August 10, 2009 2:18:54 PM EDT
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Disposal of butyl lithium
Perhaps after reading Jay and Mike=92s responses I got this wrong
initially, but I don=92t think so. It was my impression that Dona was
looking for advice on the safety of transporting a container of butyl
lithium to Harvard Medical School=92s hazardous waste storage area
themselves as opposed to having their contractor pick it up directly
from the lab. I didn=92t see she had asked about the suitability or
legality of either treating this to render it less or non-hazardous,
or about when this material becomes a waste.
I don=92t think, particularly given events of the recent past, that
Harvard wants to tackle treating this material - I don=92t think they
want to handle the material at all other than to arrange for its
proper disposal off-site. While Jay and Mike were both correct in
their responses - you should read the question thoroughly before
attempting to answer! Gentle admonishment=85
It should be safe to move the container to a properly secured
hazardous waste accumulation area.
Russ
Russ Phifer
WC Environmental, LLC
1085C Andrew Drive
West Chester, PA 19380
610-696-9220x12/ fax 610-344-7519
rphifer**At_Symbol_Here**wcenvironmental.com
===
From: jshime2**At_Symbol_Here**UIC.EDU
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Disposal of butyl lithium
As someone who has had responsibility for hazardous waste disposal at an
academic medical center I wanted to see how other would respond to your
query before I added my two cents. I now feel the need to add my
opinion
to the mix.
While I am not familiar with the specific chemical I am assuming that we
are talking about a small quantity <1L and that the chemical has been
properly stored and is currently stable. If either of these assumptions
is incorrect then I would suggest your hazardous waste manager be
contacted immediately and arrangements made to dispose the chemical from
the laboratory.
Assuming your institution is a large quantity generator in the eyes of
the
regulators the waste must be disposed every 90 days. I would suggest
that
the institution's waste manager be contacted and made aware of the need
for disposal of the chemical. You should be able to find out when the
next shipment of waste is scheduled. The waste manager needs to know
that
you have this chemical to dispose and the quantity so that arrangements
can be made with the waste hauler. I suspect that it will be
expensive to
disposet this chemical regardless of where it is collected from as it is
not a common chemical. The waste hauler needs to know the destination
of
the chemical for disposal before he may remove the waste. I would let
the
PI store the waste in his/her laboratory and bring the waste to the
storage room on the day the waste hauler is scheduled to remove the
waste
from the institution.
Waste storage rooms are to be inventoried daily or as waste enters the
room so that arrangements for disposal can be made. Since the waste is
not stored in this room its disposal may be overlooked. The waste
hauler
cannot accept the waste if he does not have a treatment facility that
will
accept the waste.
I don't advocate storage of chemical waste in individual laboratories
but
every rule has an acception.
Regards,
Jo Anna Shimek, CIH, CSP
Chicago, Illinois
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