Wow, this group never disappoints!
Thank you to everyone who took the time to share your experience and suggestions. We're going to take this into consideration and update our recommendations and requirements for base baths.
I tried to summarize the key points below and included our own tips that weren't mentioned elsewhere.
Rob Toreki wins the award for fanciest solutions! (See his full email re: use of a bucket with holes as parts basket inside bath and replacing flammable solvent with tetraglyme or similar)
OVERVIEW:
-
Several recommendations for
Nalgene tanks (especially cylindrical)
-
A few mentions of potential pressure in base bath, but more comments suggesting that this is unlikely or has never happen in many years of experience
-
One report of an over-pressurized acid bath incident
-
Several suggestions for secondary containment
-
Some stated preferences for tight-sealing lids for safer transport and easy waste disposal
-
Some additional SOP suggestions for best practices (uses, lifespan, etc.)
-
One suggestion to use Alconox instead of KOH/IPA if possible
-
A few ergonomic considerations- weight, height, etc.
-
A suggestion to use a basket-in-bucket method for parts lowering and retrieval
-
One suggestion of using tetraglyme instead of flammable solvent (with justifications)
Penn suggestions not otherwise mentioned:
-
Syphon
pump for transfer from bath to waste carboy
-
Labeling requirements:
Acid and Base Baths should be labeled with the OSHA hazard pictogram and contents. EHRS has templates for the bath labels to use with Avery UltraDuty GHS Chemical Labels 60502.
Acid
Bath Avery Label (60502)
Base
Bath Avery Label (60502)
Kimi Brown
(Kimi Bush) (she, her, hers)
Sr. Lab Safety Specialist
Environmental Health and Radiation Safety
University of Pennsylvania
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU>
On Behalf Of Brown, Kimberly Jean
Sent: Monday, December 2, 2019 2:44 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Acid and Base (glass wash) Bath Containers
Hello, and Happy December!
Have any of you issued (or been subject to) specific guidance regarding lab-scale acid and bath baths for glassware cleaning?
After some recent spills, we evaluated the types of containers being used for acid and base baths in our labs. Some groups are using 5-gallon buckets with poorly fitting lids, which is what led to the spills.
In updating our recommendations, however, we questioned whether or not the lids should be tight-fitting (liquid/gas tight) due to the potential for pressurization.
Ultimately, we recommended a product such as this:
https://www.calpaclab.com/nalgene-rectangular-tank-with-cover-pp-7-gal-12x12x12/ng-14200-0010#
(Which more than a few groups resisted/rejected for a variety of reasons).
A researcher argued that there is no potential for pressurization of a base bath (e.g. KOH and IPA) during glassware soaking, and therefore, a bucket with a screw top lid should still be an acceptable
option.
Thoughts? Is there a potential for pressurization of the base bath? What requirements, if any, do you have for this?
Thanks for sharing your experiences and opinions!
Kimi Brown
(Kimi Bush) (she, her, hers)
Sr. Lab Safety Specialist
Environmental Health and Radiation Safety
University of Pennsylvania
3160 Chestnut St., Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6287
Office: 215-746-6549
Voice/cell/text: 215-651-0557
fax: 215-898-0140
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