Issue #4                                                                                              August 2023

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Safety Moment- Safe Handling of Needles and Sharps

• Only fill red sharps containers up to the fill line (about 75%) to ensure the lid can be closed without the user being poked
• Once the sharps container lid is closed, it cannot be reopened.
• Recapping needles can be dangerous, you should not attempt to. If you must recap the needle then make sure the cap is being held by tongs or a holder, not your fingers.

Incident Spotlight-Chemist who Survives Thallium Poisoning tells his Tale.

In August 2012, a PhD Chemistry student in England succumbed to a sudden, mysterious illness. After being taken to the hospital the next day, a team of medical professionals finally discovered it was thallium due to blood tests and the signature symptom of hair loss. Thallium acts similarly to potassium in the body, replacing it and causing normal body functions to fail. The chemist tells his full story in a C&EN News article linked below.

You can read the full article here.

Wastes Are Still Active Chemistry!

Chemical incompatibility considerations need to be made in all aspects of the laboratory, including in your waste containers. EHS was made aware of a near miss on campus where an unsuspected contaminant reacted with solvents in their waste container, causing an exothermic reaction. Luckily, the lab members were able to identify the reaction before the waste ignited and were able to cease the reaction safely. 

Remember that even trace contaminants can still cause volatile reactions, like increased flammability (i.e. lowered flash point), toxic off-gassing, and acidic vapor formations, to name a few. If you think your waste chemical is contaminated, then its best to keep that chemical separate from your larger waste streams and check-in with EHS for the appropriate disposal process.