DCHAS-L Discussion List Archive
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Subject: Oxidizing Agents
Date: Sat, 21 May 2011 10:59:34 -0400
Author: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety"
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Subject: Traveling With Irritant Smoke Tubes
Date: Sat, 21 May 2011 08:57:08 -0700
Author: Biosigns
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Date: Sat, 21 May 2011 12:22:00 -0400
Reply-To: g.c.walton**At_Symbol_Here**reactives.com
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: George Walton <g.c.walton**At_Symbol_Here**REACTIVES.COM>
Organization: Reactives Managment Corporation
Subject: Re: Acceptable Methods For Shipping Chemicals -- one way of
looking at things.
First, we all make mistakes. It may be that one was made.
Second, three groups -- US DOT, International Maritime Organization,
International Civil Aviation Organization -- all have definitions of
hazardous materials. They overlap significantly but there are
differences. If a material is "hazardous" it must be packaged, marked,
labeled, and in all respects in proper condition for transportation and
certified or declared as such. For most situations, the International
Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations may be substituted for the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations.
Third, there are three ways a hazardous material may be packaged: a
limited quantity, a non-bulk quantity, or a bulk quantity. Within
limited quantities, there are exempt quantities and limited quantities
(a rather redundant use of the term in the regulations). When shipping
exempt and limited quantities, because of the smaller size of the inner
packaging or receptacle and therefore a smaller hazard, less secure
packaging may be used. I cannot imagine a situation where, when opening
a shipping package, the inner receptacle may be breached accidentally.
Depending on the mode of transportation (DOT, IMO, IATA) and the
specific packaging requirements, the proper shipping name and
identification number of the hazardous material may not be required on
the outer shipping package. "Required" and "a good idea" are not
necessarily the same things. Just because it is not required does not
mean it is not a good idea to fully and accurately describe the nature
of the hazardous material in the inner package or receptacle.
Fourth, when a person is exposed to an unknown hazard created by perhaps
inappropriate or unauthorized packaging, that is probably the
operational definition of a bad situation. Allowing bad situations to
continue is always a bad thing. Stick to your guns. Be good, do good,
and be safe.
George Walton
Reactives Management Corporation
1025 Executive Blvd., Suite 101
Chesapeake, VA 23320
Office: 757-436-1033 Fax: 757-548-2808
-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of
stan arango
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2011 6:39 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Acceptable Methods For Shipping Chemicals
question for posting
I wanted to get some feedback on a situation that I encountered
recently. I was told by my supervisor that the e-mail I sent to a vendor
was inappropriate and unprofessional (scroll to the bottom of the
screen). According to my supervisor if the chemical was really toxic the
vendor would not have chosen to ship their product in a plastic bag. It
seems to me that shipping any type of chemical in a plastic bag is a bad
idea. Here is an excerpt from the MSDS that was e-mailed to me:
Section 6 - Accidental Release Measures
General Information: Use proper personal protective equipment as
indicated in Section 8.
Spills/Leaks:ELIMINATE all ignition sources. Do not touch damaged
containers or spilled material unless wearing appropriate protective
clothing. Stop leak if you can do it without risk. Absorb or cover with
dry earth, sand or other non-combustible material and transfer to
containers. DO NOT GET WATER INSIDE CONTAINERS.
Section 7 - Handling and Storage
Handling: Avoid breathing dust, vapor, mist, or gas. Avoid contact with
skin and eyes. Avoid ingestion and inhalation.
Storage: Store in a cool, dry place. Store in a tightly closed
container.
Section 8 - Exposure Controls, Personal Protection Engineering Controls:
Facilities storing or utilizing this material should be equipped with an
eyewash facility and a safety shower. Use adequate ventilation to keep
airborne concentrations low.
I was the CHO for my company for three years and completed the ACS three
day CHO course back in 2007. After it became apparent to me that
Management was not genuinely concerned with creating a safe work
environment I have since resigned as the CHO. I still function as the
Lab Manager for the medicinal chemistry department and one of my
responsibilities is receiving incoming chemicals. Part of my frustration
comes from the scientist's perception that because they are
knowledgeable about chemicals they are knowledgable about chemical
safety. In my opinion there is a big difference between the two.
Interested to hear what other non-scientists that are functioning as a
safety officer have to say. Also, I am not a doctor I just play one on
TV. :-)
Thanks,
Stan Arango
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------
From:
Sent: Monday, May 16, 2011 12:45 AM
To: Stan Arango
Cc: Subject: Reply: Fw: Fw: Unsafe shipment of chemical
Hi Dr Stan Arango,
Thank you very much for your info.
Firstly, Please accept my sincerest apology for shipping method and
packaging.
For Clearance purpose, our shipping agent ship the compound by other
sample's name, and we are requested print the CAS number and our Catalog
number on the Label, and it is allowed send the MSDS with the compound
together. Please see attached MSDS.
Regarding packing, sorry again for the inconvenience. I have forward it
to our Logistics Dept, and we will improve it in future, I can assure
that the similar things could not occur again in the future.
Please let me know if you have any other questions or conerns.
Sorry once again for any inconvenience!
Yours faithfully,
=E6=9D=A8=E6=B0=B8=E5=AE=81
********************************************************
> To Whom It May Concern,
>
> Your shipping method for your product catalog # 60-61118 is
unacceptable. During the process of opening the aluminum foil envelope
that the chemical came in the plastic bag containing the chemical was
inadvertently also opened (see attch'd photos). This is an especially
dangerous shipping practice because your product did not include a
chemical name or MSDS so I do not know what type of chemical I have been
exposed too. Thanks in advance for your speedy reply concerning this
matter.
>
> Stan Arango
> Lab Manager, Associate
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