Date: November 10, 2009
8:55:25 PM EST
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L]
Setting Up Spill Kits...
When I
set up spill kits, I also consider the types of materials that are
likely to spill. While NAS Whidbey Island, f or petroleum hydrocarbons
(solvents included) I recommend the white, hydrophilic pads, preferably
the 200 weight, dimpled style.
The weight and the dimples significantly influence the
absorbency of this pads.
I'd also recommend the corn-cob based absorbent. This material has a few
advantages over "kitty litter" and other clay-based material. The
Dri-zorb 100 is incredibly aggressive for liquids and has the advantage
of having enough BTU value to be burned as a fuel. In addition, the dri-zorb
100 leaves polished floors looking really shiny (quite impressive on
hangar floors). An
obvious caveat is to avoid using the dri-zorb for sulfuric
acid.
The grey universal pads work very well for aqueous
solutions. Again, I
recommend the 200 weight pads.
I
recommend placing the pads in separate color-coded bags to that when you
train folks, they know to use the contents of one bag for aqueous spills
and another, different color bag for organic spills.
We use
nitrile gloves (4-mil) for most spill responses, except for ketones;MEK
melts the nitrile in about 15 seconds.
Your kits
need to include safety glasses and face shields. Tyvek or Saranex coveralls
are helpful, but for small spills, quite frankly, the responder is NOT
going to bother putting this on.
The acid and alkali
neutralizers with the color changing agent are good tools for novice
responders. The
off-gassing tends to be minimal.
Mats to cover floor drains
or flexible plugs to put in floor drains will save you lots of headaches
(think of the NIST radioactive material down the drain
incident).
Two 8-foot lengths of 2 or 3-inch boom can be fairly
effective to contain the liquid, or atl east slow its
spread.
You need to train the responders to understand in no
uncertain terms, the limits of their capabilities. If the spill is bigger
than 1-gallon, or is an extremely "exciting" compound, its time to clear
the area and call the fire department.
Paul
Sonnenfeld, CPEA
===
Date: November 10, 2009
6:35:10 PM EST
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L]
Setting Up Spill Kits...
I
remember using the neutralizing agent in an acid spill kit, and it sort
of melted the bench because of the heat generated. It wasn't a big spill
either, maybe 10 mL of
acid.
Lucy Dillman
===
Date: November 10, 2009 5:24:19 PM
EST
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L]
Setting Up Spill Kits...
A number
of years ago while I was still working in the Chemistry Department, our
"Hazchem" group developed our own spill mix.
It
consists of approximately equal parts of sand (to moderate any chemical
reactions), kitty litter (to absorb), and soda ash (to neutralize acid
spills). The ingredients are cheap, allowing us to prepare the mix in
bulk at reasonable cost. The idea is that each lab keeps an
appropriately-sized container of this mix on hand. In the event of a
spill, the mix can be applied to the spill, then after a suitable time
can be swept up with whisk broom and dustpan, then bagged for
disposal.
I know that in some parts of the States, the
regulatory climate is much different than it is here in Canada, so there
might be some legal pitfalls to this procedure; but the mix itself has
served us well over the years.
Gordon Weir
General Safety Officer (soon to
retire)
Office of Environmental
Health and Safety
University of Alberta
