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Multiple steps should be taken in the event of a chemical spill on campus.
If the spill is large, health-threatening, and/or beyond the scope of laboratory/facilities staff, call Public Safety at extension 5444. Alert nearby students and personnel and evacuate the space. Close all doors leading to the affected area. Remain available with Safety Data sheets so that Public Safety and Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) may gain important information about the spill. A third-party vendor may be called to respond to the spill. Treat any contamination immediately using safety showers and eye wash units.
If a spill is not health-threatening or small in scope, present staff may clean the spill. Then report the incident to EHS at extension 5400 or 4268. Also, contact Public Safety at extension 5511. First aid is also available from the clinic (extension 5858). This guide will go into spill response specifics, but as a rule clean up spills only if the materials to absorb and bag the spills are available, chemical properties are known and understood, proper personal protective equipment (PPE) is available, no one is seriously injured, and chemicals are not overtly concentrated or hazardous. Custodial services are not responsible for chemical spill clean-up.
Flammable liquids have flash points at or below 37.8 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit), evaporate quickly, and within a short period of time can reach high vapor concentration. Some common examples of flammable liquids include ethanol, methanol, hexane, diethyl ether, acetone, and toluene. Larger spills of flammable liquids that exceed the lower explosion limit (LEL) may require a response by the Fire Department and our emergency response vendor. Spills of more than 500 ML are considered an emergency, and Public Safety should be contacted. Smaller spills can be cleaned up by local personnel who have proper supplies, training, and PPE.
Evacuate and close off the area at any point the situation feels unsafe or overwhelming. Contact Public Safety.
Organic liquids (combustible or not) are not a fire hazard at room temperature. The principal hazard from nonflammable, volatile liquid spills is exposure to the vapor by inhalation or skin absorption. A spill of more than one liter is an emergency and requires area evacuation. Contact Public Safety and EHS. Smaller spills can be cleaned up by local personnel who have proper supplies, training, and PPE.
The principal concern is the corrosive effects of these substances. Dilute solutions irritate the skin, while concentrated solutions can result in serious burns and may react violently with water.
Hydrofluoric acid can penetrate deeply and damage underlying tissue/bone. Hydrofluoric acid spills require special response procedures. All laboratories that work with hydrofluoric acid must have a site-specific safe-work procedure that includes spill and emergency response procedures. Calcium gluconate must be readily available within the lab.
A spill of more than one liter of liquid or 500 grams of solid acid is an emergency that requires area evacuation and notification of Public Safety and EHS. All spills of hydrofluoric acid are emergencies. Smaller spills can be cleaned up by local personnel who have proper supplies, training, and PPE.
Like acids, the principal concern is the corrosive effects of these substances. Dilute solutions irritate the skin, while concentrated solutions can result in serious burns.
A spill of more than one liter of liquid or 500 grams of solid alkali or base is an emergency that requires area evacuation and notification of Public Safety and EHS. Smaller spills can be cleaned up by local personnel who have proper supplies, training, and PPE.
Elemental mercury and mercury compounds are toxic by inhalation and, in some cases, absorption through the skin. Although mercury evaporates slowly, in areas of poor ventilation the vapor concentration will increase over time and become a chronic or acute health hazard.
Spills in excess of 30 milliliters are emergencies that require area evacuation and notification of Public Safety and EHS. Smaller spills can be cleaned up by local personnel who have proper supplies, training, and PPE.
Oxidizing agents can ignite organic solvents and combustible materials. They are also skin and respiratory irritants. Examples include concentrated hydrogen peroxide, permanganate, chlorate, nitrate, and dichromate compounds. Spills in excess of one liter of liquid or 500 grams of solid oxidizer are emergencies and require area evacuation and notification of Public Safety and EHS. Smaller spills can be cleaned up by local personnel who have proper supplies, training, and PPE.
EHS prefers to assess each spill. Highly toxic material spills should be evaluated on an individual basis.
Highly toxic chemicals include those with high acute systemic toxicity, and substances with chronic toxic effects such as carcinogens, reproductive or developmental (embryotoxins, teratogens) toxins, and mutagens. Also included in this category are compounds that can easily produce toxic products. For example, cyanide and sulfide salts produce toxic hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen sulfide, respectively, in the presence of acids. In general, spills of more than 100 milliliters of liquid or 50 grams of solid of these substances are emergencies and require evacuation and notification of Public Safety and EHS. Smaller spills may be cleaned up by local personnel who have proper supplies, training, and PPE.
These materials are particularly hazardous because they will rapidly react with water and/or air to produce toxic and/or potentially explosive products. Pyrophoric substances may spontaneously ignite. Typical examples of water and air reactive materials include alkali metals, metal hydrides, and strong reducing agents such as sodium borohydride.
All spills of air and water-reactive materials are emergencies. Evacuate the area and contact Public Safety and EHS immediately. If it is safe to do so, use dry sand or kitty litter to absorb the spill and prevent further spread/reactions before evacuating the area.
Compressed gas leaks can be roughly divided into two categories. The first is those leaks that occur away from the cylinder in gas lines, tubing, or apparatus. These, once detected, can generally be stopped by closing the main cylinder valve. The second is those leaks that occur at the cylinder itself and cannot be stopped by closing the cylinder valve. Similarly, in some cases, it may not be possible to close a cylinder valve due to age or poor condition of the valve.
All leaking gas cylinders are an emergency if the leak cannot be stopped by closing the cylinder valve. Leaks of oxygen, flammable gas, or toxic gas are especially dangerous. The following procedure should be followed:
All labs should have chemical spill kits available. Their use is not mandatory but they should be available. Contact EHS (extension 4268) for updated spill kits. Spill kits should have basic PPE, absorbent padding, a waste bag, and acid/base neutralization powder. Mercury amalgam powder is also available.