Faculty Of Medicine Safety Day

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Hazardous Wastes Management

• Faculty Of Medicine Safety Day
• University of Toronto - MSB
• May 12, 2009
• Rob Provost, BSc
• Environmental Protection Services (Hazardous
  Materials)
• Office of Environmental Health and Safety

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Objectives

• Minimize amounts of waste produced for disposal
• To be able to SAFELY handle chemical, radioactive
  and biological wastes produced as a result of
  research and teaching activities
• Know who Environmental Protection Services (EPS)
  are
• To know where to get the information you need on
  hazardous waste disposal

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Waste Minimization

• In 2008 U of T produced
• 120,000 Kg of Chemical waste, costing 270,000
  to disposal of.
• 22 m3 (25,000 kg) of Radioactive waste, costing
  175,000 to disposal of.
• 70,000 Kg of Biological waste
• How can you help?
• Purchasing practices
• Process modification less chemicals used or even
  eliminated
• Not mixing with hazardous wastes
• Substitution - less hazardous alternatives ?
• E.g. mercury thermometers replaced with alcohol
  or electronic

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What Waste is in your area?

• Do you have Chemical waste produced in your area?
  What types?
• Do you have Radiation waste produced in your
  area? What types?
• Do you have Biological waste produced in your
  area? What types?
• Do you know how your waste is handled?
• Do you know who to contact for it?

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U of TGeneral Requirements

• Waste handling has the following requirements
• Packaging
• Labelling
• Storage
• Disposal

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Typical Chemical Lab Hazards

• Flammable
• Corrosive
• Toxic
• Reactives
• At U of T the most common composition in the
  research labs is
• 75 solvents (most common hazard
  encountered in labs)
• 10 acids
• 15 others such as toxins, bases, oxidiziers
  etc.

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Chemical WastePackaging

• Never mix incompatible materials
• Fire/Explosion Spill

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Chemical WastePackaging

• Sealed containers
• Reuse old chemical
• containers

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Chemical WastePackaging

• Liquid Waste containers should only be fill to
  75 of capacity to allow for expansion
• Dont use Biowaste pails or the Orange pails from
  caretaking for collection of chemical waste call
  for info 978-4821

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Chemical WasteLabelling

• EPS supplies these labels to the University
• Either dropped off in labs or supplies in central
  waste rooms

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Chemical Waste Storage - Local Conditions

• Some chemicals can become problems by degrading
  and producing hazardous by-products with
• long storage (e.g. ethers degrade to from
  unstable organic peroxides)
• exposure to water or air (e.g. sodium metal is a
  solid and stable but when immersed in water
  produces very flammable hydrogen gas)

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Chemical WasteStorage

• Waste should be segregated according to
  compatibility
• dispose of ageing containers promptly
• DONT use Bio bags or Radiation
  bags to collect spill
  materials or leaking containers!!
• Unknowns??

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Chemical Waste Storage

• FUMEHOODS
• They are a safety device for the protection of
  laboratory personnel and not as storage areas
• Defeats the purpose of having a fumehood

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Chemical Waste Storage - Local Conditions

• Each building on campus handles waste storage
  differently.
• Some have designated storage rooms where waste
  can be move to
• Other have to keep in lab to be pickup by Chem
  Tech

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Chemical WasteDisposal

• Lab staff responsible for removing chemical waste
  from lab area to
• central waste holding facility of building (MSB
  5376, Volatile Storage)

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Chemical WasteStorage
MSB 5376
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What happens to my Chemicals??

• Segregated
• Labpacked
• TDGA Labels
• Loaded

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Chemical WasteDisposal Lab Pickups

• Plan ahead!!
• Collection done on a first-come-first serve basis
  
• Call-in required for p/u from individual lab
• Contractor only on campus 3 days a week so
  pickups can be delayed up to 2 weeks depending on
  waste and location!

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Chemical WasteDisposal Lab Cleanout

• Decommissioning of any area may require several
  weeks to properly deal with potentially hazardous
  materials. Scheduling Contractors and packaging
  of the hazardous materials also requires time.
• Radioactive- Radiation Protection Services
  (416-978-2028) to arrange for proper
  decommissioning.
• Biological- Biosafety Office (416-978-3981) so
  that the hazard potential may be assessed.
• Chemical- Environmental Protection Services
  (416-978-7000) to arrange for the proper disposal
  of chemicals.
• Furniture and Room Clean Out- U of T Moving
  (416-978-0955) to initiate the removal of all
  remaining equipment and materials.

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Chemical WasteDisposal Lab Cleanout

• Removal of Chemicals for a lab cleanout should be
  requested at least 2 week in advance!
• Chemical Technician will visit the site to review
• what NEEDS to be removed
• What supplies are need to DO the pickup
• check that NO OTHER HAZARDS will affect the
  pickup
• Eg. Debris obstructing access to waste

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Contaminated Glass and Tips

• Where do I take contaminated solids?

• Contaminated Glass including broken
• Contaminated Plastic including tips
• Bench cover

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Chemical Waste HandlingPersonal Protective
Equipment

• The same precautions for handling hazardous
  chemicals are applied to chemical wastes
• eye protection
• lab coats
• gloves

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Special CasesGas Cylinders

• Treat as high energy sources
• Use smallest size required to do work
• Try to use local suppliers
• Use returnable cylinders
• (check before buying)
• If supplier unable to accept
• contact EPS office

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Special CaseChemically-contaminated sharps

• Chemicals in trace amounts are to be collected in
  U of T approved yellow sharps containers
• chemicals drained from sharps prior
• significant amount of chemical contamination,
  first deactivated in accordance with MSDS
• Contact Biowaste for pickup and disposal 946-3473

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Radioactive Waste Management

• At U of T, researchers working with any
  radioactive material, require an internal permit
  approved by UTRPA, BEFORE work begins.
• Only approved permit holders are able to order
  radioactive materials and must be knowledgeable
  in University procedures for disposal.

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Radioactive Waste Management Definition

• Includes
• surplus radioactive material
• materials that has come into contact with
  radioactive materials (e.g. gloves, flasks)
• used in decontamination (e.g., sponges)
• contaminated equipment that cannot be cleaned

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Radiation Waste Minimization

• Process modification - new less toxic absorbent
  material used
• Not mixing non hazardous with radioactive wastes
• developed a delay and decay program for
  short-lived isotopes

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Radioactive Waste Management

• Short-lived wastes (lt 90 days half life) are
  allowed to decay in a secure University facility
  until no longer radioactive then disposed as non
  radioactive waste.
• Long-lived wastes (gt 90 day half life) are sent
  for disposal to permitted facilities.
• Wastes are removed packaged by 2 University
  technicians.

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Radioactive Waste Management Packaging

• Liquid and solid waste MUST be segregated
• containers provided by EPS
• Liquid container should be filled to full
  capacity to maximize absorbents potential
• Waste packaged in containers that improperly ID
  other existing hazards
• Do not place non rad waste with rad waste

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Radioactive Waste Management Labelling

• Waste not properly labelled will not be
• removed!!
• Labels provided free by EPS
• Type of label depends on type of waste.

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Radioactive Waste Management Labelling - Solid

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Radioactive Waste Management Labelling - Liquid

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Radioactive Waste Management Labelling - Liquid
SEGREGATED BY HALF-LIFE OF ISOTOPE
Blue label 30gt Half lifelt 90 days (e.g. S-35,
I-60)

• Green label lt 30 days
• (e.g. P-32, P-33, I-131, Cr-51)

Yellow label gt 90 days (e.g. C-14, H-3)
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Radioactive Waste Management Storage

• Each lab should establish one clearly identified
  location for waste, preferable close to work done
  with radioactive materials.
• Waste should not be stored underneath any working
  area or near vicinity of people who do not work
  with radioactive materials.

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Radioactive Waste ManagementCollection Schedule

• Collection is done on a call-in basis or
  according to schedule below
• Tuesday ESC, Pharmacy, MSB 6th 7th floors,
  Zoology
• Wednesday Banting, Best, Fitzgerald
• Thursday rest of MSB
• all others when requested
• call 978-2050

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Radioactive Waste ManagementSpecial Cases

• Animal Carcasses
• Gas Chromatographs
• Gaseous Radioactive Waste
• Liquid Scintillation Counting Vials
• Liquid Scintillation Counters
• Fridges, freezers or other equipment
• Sealed sources
• Shipping materials

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Radioactive Waste Management Special Cases

• Needles and Blades
• for trace amounts, disposed into special yellow
  plastic containers approved by U of T and CSA for
  the disposal of such waste
• liquids drained into appropriate colour-coded
  jars and separately treated as radioactive waste
• sharps with significant quantities of an isotope
  must be disposed as RADIOACTIVE WASTE into
  separate jars.
• These are collect by the Rad Techs (978-2050)

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Biowaste Management

• Service provided to Biosafety certified
  Containment Level 2 3 Labs
• Supply Biowaste 20L Pails, Tags, pickup and
  information
• Biowaste includes biohazardous material,
  contaminated solids, glass, blades, needles and
  tips
• Pails CANNOT be autoclaved under any
  circumstances
• Wastes are removed by 2 University technicians.
• NOTE Some other labs will need Needle pickups
  without a Biosafety Certificate

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Biowaste Management Labelling
Waste not properly labelled will not be
removed!! Labels provided free by EPS
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Biowaste ManagementPackaging

• Needles and Blades
• disposed into special yellow plastic containers
  approved by U of T and CSA for the disposal of
  such waste
• Fill only to indicated fill-line
• Put lid on before offering for disposal
• Place with the Biowaste pails for collection

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Biowaste ManagementCollection

• Labs in most buildings are services every week,
  others are on a on-call basis (946-3473)
• Contractor pickup at our storage areas three days
  a week

Building Scheduled Banting
Call-in Basis Best
Call-in Basis CCBR
Tuesday / Thursday Dentistry
Wednesday Earth Sciences
Call-in Basis FitzGerald
Monday Galbraith Call-in
Basis Gage
Call-in Basis Leslie Dam Pharmacy Monday
Medical Sciences Tuesday / Thursday Mining
Friday Ramsay
Wright Wednesday Rosebrugh
Friday Tanz
Monday Wallberg
Call-in Basis
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Biowaste Management

• Biosafety certified Containment Level 1 Labs
• Waste can go directly to Regular garbage
• Should the lab staff wish to autoclave before
  disposal use the clear unlabelled autoclave bags
  from Medstores
• Glass and plastic that would puncture a garbage
  bag should go into the Orange 20L pails supplied
  by Caretaking 978-6252
• Needles and blades should be collected in the
  appropriate containers and call Biowaste for
  collection 946-3473

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More Info

• U of T - Office of Environmental Health and
  Safety
• Laboratory Hazardous Waste Management Manual
• www.ehs.utoronto.ca/Resources/wmindex.htm
• Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
• -for specific chemical
• (especially for incompatible mixtures)

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONSERVICES CONTACT LIST

• email hazwaste_at_ehs.utoronto.ca
• phone
• [phone] for Information
• [phone] for Chem Pickup
• [phone] for Rad Pickup
• [phone] for Bio Pickup
• fax [phone]