Technical information

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Vapor Detection
Odor should not be relied upon as a means of determining that inhalation exposure limits are or are not
being exceeded. Whenever there is reason to suspect that a toxic chemical inhalation limit might be
exceeded, whether or not a suspicious odor is noticed, notify the supervisor and/or the Environmental
Medical Service. As an interim measure, laboratory use of the chemical should be stopped, or the use of the
chemical limited to a chemical hood.
Chemical Waste Disposal
MIT Policy
The proper disposal of waste chemicals at the Institute is of serious concern, and every effort should be
made to do it safely and efficiently. The responsibility for the identification and handling of waste
chemicals within the Institute rests with the Supervisor in whose laboratory the waste was created, and the
supervisor must budget for the cost of pickup and disposal. A procedure for waste disposal should be
planned before a project is started. Wastes must be labeled properly. Inadvertent mixing of incompatible
materials must be avoided.
Storage Area
The Institute has provided a storage area for waste chemicals; the waste is accumulated here until there is
sufficient quantity to justify transportation to a disposal site. The Safety Office maintains this storage area,
and the only access is via the Safety Office.
Transportation
A pick-up of waste chemicals may be arranged by calling the MIT Safety Office (X3-4736). The person
creating the waste is responsible for transporting the containers of waste to the storage area when pick-up
service is not available.
General Procedures for Waste Disposal
Plan a procedure for waste disposal before you start on a project. Label waste properly. It is up to each
department, group, or experimenter to identify waste materials properly before disposal; inadvertent mixing
of incompatible materials could have serious consequences. Analysis to determine the identity of unknown
chemicals is very expensive, and these costs will be borne by the laboratory supervisor.
Protection of the environment makes the disposal of large quantities of chemical and solid wastes a difficult
problem. It is in everyone's best interest to keep quantities of waste to a minimum. The following
suggestions may help:
• Order as small a quantity of material as practical, even if you can get twice as much for the same
money.
• Use only the amount of material that is needed for conclusive results.
• Avoid storing excess material, particularly if it is an extremely toxic or flammable material, just
because you may want it in the future.
• Before disposing of unwanted, unopened, uncontaminated chemicals, check with others in your
department who may be able to use them.
• When a researcher completes a research project or a thesis, he or she must label all unused
chemicals to be kept by the laboratory.
Make sure all samples and products to be disposed of are properly identified, labeled with their chemical
names, and containerized. You must clean up before you transfer within or leave MIT. You must submit a
Departure Compliance Form to the DMSE Safety Office before you transfer within or leave MIT. For more
information on identifying waste, see the subsequent sections on "Identification," "Unknown Waste," and
"Paperwork."
Procedures For Specific Waste Categories:
• Organic solvents must not be put down the drain. Regulations that apply to MIT's sewer system
prohibit the discharge of organic solvents to the sewer system. This applies to all organic solvents