So, if your waste hauler won't accept bottles with greater than 10ppm,
then what do you do with those bottles that are over 10ppm?

-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of
Karen Smith
Sent: Monday, September 20, 2010 6:18 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Peroxide Question

Our waste handler won't accept bottles over 10ppm peroxide, therefore  
that's my limit.

Karen Smith, CSMM
Chemical Hygiene Officer/ Lab Coordiantor
Whitman College
345 Boyer Ave.
Walla Walla, WA 99362
509 527-5272



On Sep 20, 2010, at 12:10 PM, Johnson, Amy Carr wrote:

> Here is a link to the article from which the excerpt below was taken  
> regarding safe levels of peroxides
http://www.bnl.gov/esh/cms/PDF/peroxides.pdf
>
>
>
> "Kelly (7) reviewed the literature to determine the minimum  
> hazardous concentration of peroxides in solution
> with organic solvents. Peroxide concentration of 100 ppm has been  
> widely used as a control point, but lacks
> scientific justification and is probably based on the practical  
> detection limit of the potassium iodide method. Kelly
> reported great disparity (range 50-10,000 ppm as hydrogen peroxide)  
> between various references. There was little
> agreement between authors and none provided supporting data. The  
> highest level (10,000 ppm) was found in a
> National Safety Council publication (16). However, the NSC  
> publication included no supporting references for the
> latter statement or the NSC recommendation for administrative  
> control value of 100 ppm.
> The Material Safety Data Sheet for diethyl ether cautions against  
> concentrating ether containing peroxide level
> above 100 ppm (10). Presumably, instability and hazard increase with  
> concentration such that at some point, the
> solution spontaneously explodes. Kelly suggested that it is likely  
> that the control concentration of 100ppm, in some
> cases may be overly conservative by at least an order of magnitude.  
> This may apply to the chemicals listed in Table
> 1-B unless the unstable materials are concentrated as result of  
> solvent evaporation (7).
> Kelly (7) stated that "theoretically, explosion should be impossible  
> for most solutions of <1% peroxides."
> However, to rationally establish a safe/hazard concentration is  
> complicated by a number of factors. For example,
> some of the liquid may remain on the threads and cap when  
> peroxidized liquids are dispensed from glass containers
> with screw-caps or with ground-glass stoppers. As the solvent  
> evaporates, the peroxide can be concentrated to
> dangerous levels within in the threads of the cap. Thus, a volatile  
> solvent containing relatively low peroxide
> contamination could explode because of peroxide concentration at the  
> cap (3, 7). Dilute solutions of most
> peroxidizable chemicals or solutions in solvents with low volatility  
> (B.P. > 300 o C or V.P. <0.1 mm Hg at 20 o C)
> usually do not pose a peroxide hazard and are not likely to  
> concentrate. Thus, it is usually unnecessary to treat such
> solutions as peroxide hazards (3, 5).
> Some of the peroxidation products of the chemicals in Group A (Table  
> 1) are less structurally stabile than those
> in Group B. Thus even peroxide concentrations of less than 100 ppm  
> should be considered very hazardous.
> Unstabilized isopropyl ether can readily form highly unstable  
> peroxides. Even low small concentrations produced
> through solvent evaporation are very dangerous and may explode on  
> shaking (33). The temperature and
> concentration at which explosion of peroxides of isopropyl ether  
> becomes probable has never been authoritatively
> stated (20)."
>
> Hope this helps-
> From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On  
> Behalf Of Bill Galdenzi
> Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 9:17 AM
> To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
> Subject: [DCHAS-L] Peroxide Question
>
> All,
>
> I have a question:   What concentration of peroxide do you folks use  
> for your "acceptable" level?   What is the basis for this level?
>
> Thanks for your help.
>
> Bill Galdenzi
> Environmental, Health, and Safety
> Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharamceuticals
> (203) 778-7759
> bill.galdenzi**At_Symbol_Here**boehringer-ingelheim.com
>

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