From: Paul Sonnenfeld <<
a href="mailto:p_sonnenfeld**At_Symbol_Here**hotmail.com">p_sonnenfeld**At_Symbol_Here**hotmail.com>
;
Date: November 10, 2009 8:5
5:25 PM EST
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Sett
ing Up Spill Kits...
When I set up spill kits,
I also consider the types of materials that are likely to spill. While NA
S Whidbey Island, f or petroleum hydrocarbons (solvents included) I recomm
end the white, hydrophilic pads, preferably the 200 weight, dimpled style.
The weight and the dim
ples significantly influence the absorbency of this pads. I'd also recommend the corn-cob based
absorbent. This materi
al has a few advantages over "kitty litter" and other clay-based material.
The Dri-zorb 100 is incredibly aggressive for liquids and has the advanta
ge of having enough BTU value to be burned as a fuel. In addition, the dri-zorb 100 leaves polish
ed floors looking really shiny (quite impressive on hangar floors). An obvious caveat is to avo
id using the dri-zorb for sulfuric acid.
The grey universal pads wor
k very well for aqueous solutions. Again, I recommend the 200 weight pads.
I recommend placing the pad
s 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 col
or bag for organic spills.
We use nitrile gloves (4-mi
l) 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 neutral
izers with the color changing agent are good tools for novice responders.<
span class="Apple-converted-space"> 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).<
/div>
Two 8-foot lengths of 2 or
3-inch boom can be fairly effective to contain the liquid, or atl east sl
ow its spread.
You need to train the respo
nders to understand in no uncertain terms, the limits of their capabilitie
s. If the spill is bigg
er than 1-gallon, or is an extremely "exciting" compound, its time to clea
r the area and call the fire department.
Paul Sonnenfeld, CPEA
===
Date: November 10, 2009 6:3
5:10 PM EST
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Sett
ing Up Spill Kits...
I remember using the neutra
lizing 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 5:2
4:19 PM EST
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Sett
ing Up Spill Kits...
A number of years ago while
I was still working in the Chemistry Department, our "Hazchem" group deve
loped our own spill mix.
It consists of approximatel
y equal parts of sand (to moderate any chemical reactions), kitty litter
(to absorb), and soda ash (to neutralize acid spills). The ingredients ar
e cheap, allowing us to prepare the mix in bulk at reasonable cost. The id
ea 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 (soo
n to retire)
Office of Environmental Hea
lth and Safety
University of Alberta
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