Safe management methods for laboratory chemical waste

Chemical laboratories generate a large amount of chemical waste during operation, many of which contain highly toxic, carcinogenic, teratogenic substances, etc. If these chemical wastes are not properly handled, they will cause serious harm to the life and health of laboratory staff and environmental safety. Therefore, the safe management of laboratory chemical wastes is urgent.

Improve the chemical waste safety management system：

The composition of laboratory chemical waste is complex and changeable, there is no fixed emission volume and centralized emission point, and it is difficult to carry out large-scale centralized treatment. It is difficult to treat. There must be mandatory disposal regulations, including laws and regulations, standards and technical manuals, to effectively strengthen the safety supervision and guidance of laboratory drugs and samples. Each laboratory should establish treatment methods according to chemical properties, realize the harmless treatment of laboratory waste, build green and environmentally friendly chemical laboratories, and protect the ecological environment.

Waste inventory management：

Each laboratory should formulate a strict list of solid, liquid and gaseous wastes, including unused reagents and their packaging, by-products and leaked materials during the experiment, cleaning after the experiment, and classification of chemicals and sample wastes according to their physical and chemical properties, such as toxicity, radioactivity, corrosion, acidity and alkalinity, flammability, explosiveness, oxidation, reduction and pollution. For each type of waste, the source, main components and chemical properties should be indicated, and the possible risks of toxic gases, heating, splashing and explosion should be pointed out. In order to prevent secondary pollution, the specific treatment methods should be indicated on the principle of choosing harmless or easy-to-handle drugs or methods as much as possible, such as using bleaching powder to treat cyanide wastewater, using quicklime to treat some acids, and using waste acid to treat waste alkali liquid. If it cannot be properly handled, the name of the professional treatment agency must be indicated. When handling laboratory waste, a strict disposal ledger should be established to record in detail the relevant information such as the treatment personnel, treatment quantity, treatment method, treatment time, etc., and two people should be responsible for review, regular inspection and long-term archiving.

Separate collection of waste：

Laboratory waste should be collected according to different properties. Incompatible experimental waste should be collected and stored separately. Inspectors should collect them according to the classification regulations and pour them into the storage containers designated by the laboratory. After use, for flammable, explosive, highly toxic and other chemicals, experimental operators should promptly and properly dispose of waste residues and waste liquids, and properly classify and dump them in designated containers. It is strictly forbidden to throw and place them randomly. The culture medium, specimens and storage liquids, disposable medical supplies and disposable devices used in the experiment should be effectively disinfected in accordance with regulations and placed in designated containers.

Special treatment of special wastes：

Correct packaging of waste：

The key is to choose the right container and label it. Waste should be placed in closed containers, such as stainless steel barrels, plastic barrels and glass bottles that are designed and constructed. It must not react with the waste to produce hazardous products or weaken the robustness of the container. When necessary, liners, coatings or other treatments should be added to containers and lids, and full consideration should be given to the chemical stability of the container or liner. All waste containers should be well sealed, clean and legible, with labels firmly attached and all old labels removed. The style and size of the label should refer to the instructions, indicating the name, category, hazardous conditions, safety measures, waste generating unit, address, telephone number, date and other information of the laboratory. When multiple chemicals are contained, it is usually only necessary to list the main waste components.

Waste storage places：

In order to ensure that the garbage can resist the destruction of natural external forces and human factors, great attention should be paid to the construction of garbage storage sites. Its storage facilities, design, operation, safety protection and monitoring should meet the standards, and warning signs should be set up in obvious locations. The setting of warning signs should meet the requirements and should be responsible for regular inspections and records. Keep away from heat sources, and high-temperature explosives or easily damaged wastes should be stored at low temperatures. Second, classified storage. Incompatible wastes must not be mixed, and waste containers should be labeled. Never load the same container for different types of waste that may have dangerous consequences after mixing. Third, it is necessary to prevent expansion and ensure that the liquid waste in the container will not expand due to changes in temperature or other physical conditions during normal handling, storage and transportation, causing the container to leak or permanently deform. Fourth, it is well ventilated and there must be no scattering, leakage, ground pollution or odor.