Technical information

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whether flammable or nonflammable, miscible or non miscible with water. Organic solvents
should be placed in suitable containers (1 gallon maximum) where there is no danger that vapors
or the liquid will escape. Containers shall be capped tightly, labeled prominently, and picked up
by the MIT Safety Office .
• Mixtures of organic solvents that are compatible and combined in one container must be identified
with an estimated proportion in fractions or percentages of each solvent in the mixture indicated.
• Many laboratory operations create neutralized acids and-alkaline solutions which may be put
down the drain provided that they do not contain heavy metals or toxic contaminants.
Concentrated acids and caustics, acids and alkaline solutions should be put into proper containers
tightly capped, sealed with laboratory film such as "Parafilm M", labeled, and given to the Safety
Office.
• Inorganic and organic solids in their original containers that are contaminated, old, or of
questionable purity may be given to the Safety Office.
• Mercury must be removed from lab apparatus and put into jars or bottles before sending it to the
MIT Safety Office. Broken mercury thermometers must be put into a jar or secondary container.
Clean-up materials from a mercury spill may be containerized, labeled, and sent to the Safety
Office. Any laboratory or department that is interested in sending mercury waste to be distilled
and to receive a credit for the mercury must take the responsibility of getting the mercury waste to
the proper vendor.
• Cyanide compounds, arsenic, lead, and heavy metal wastes should be placed in bottles and
containers, sealed tightly, labeled, and given to the Safety Office.
• Alkali metals such as sodium and potassium should be placed in a suitable container, covered with
Nujol (mineral oil), labeled properly, sealed so that there is no possibility of their coming into
contact with water, and given to the Safety Office.
• Pyrophoric metals such as magnesium, strontium, thorium, and zirconium, and other pyrophoric
chips and fine powders should be placed in a metal container, sealed tightly, labeled, and given to
the Safety Office.
• Waste oil in quantities of less than 1 gallon may be sent to the waste oil chemical storage area or
given to the Safety Office. Large quantities of waste chemicals to be removed from a laboratory
may be more than a normal amount for the Safety Office to pick up, and the Laboratory
Supervisor will be financially responsible for the disposal. Some examples are the wastes
collected in drum lots from a research project, the clean-out of a laboratory of old reagents and
chemicals which would be packed into drums, and the waste chemicals to be pumped out of a
collection or storage tank.
• Transformer oil which may contain PCB's should be tested for PCB content. The responsibility of
having the transformer oil tested and for the actual disposal rests with the department involved.
• Capacitors that contain PCB's are likewise the responsibility of the department involved.
Information on possible disposal contractors can be obtained by calling the MIT Safety Office
(X3-4736).
• Equipment containing PCBs should not be accepted in transfer from other institutions or from
other departments within MIT. If you accept PCB-containing equipment, you also accept a very
large toxic waste disposal bill that only escalates with the passage of time.
• Controlled drugs to be disposed of as waste must not be sent to the waste chemical storage area.
The handling, recording, and disposal of controlled drugs are the responsibility of the department
involved operating within the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) Regulations.
• Biological waste that may contain live viruses must not be sent to the waste chemical storage area.
The disposal of biological wastes is handled in accordance with procedures for deactivation that
have been established by the department involved and the Environmental Medical Service.
The Environmental Medical Service may be consulted if there is any question concerning the toxicity or
packaging of any toxic wastes.
Identification
All waste chemicals must be identified by chemical name, including the proportions of a mixture. All
containers must be labeled prominently because the safe transportation of chemicals is possible only when
everyone who handles the containers knows the identity of the contents.