Amazingly, one of our other departments was cited for this during our most
recent CAP inspection. Our safety officer is looking into this and believes,
as do I, that there is a higher safety risk decanting these into safety cans
to use than what we're currently doing. We currently store our gallons of
alcohol, xylene, and acetone in fire safety cabinets, except what we're
currently using, maximum one gallon of each, on the countertops. That used
to be ok... <sigh>

-Teri Johnson
Physicians Reference Laboratory
Overland Park, KS

----- Original Message -----
From: Morken, Tim <tim9@cdc.gov>
To: <histonet@pathology.swmed.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2001 7:08 AM
Subject: RE: Recycled Solvents


> The amount of solvents you are allowed to store outside of flammable
> cabinets is alarmingly low -  one gallon of open solvents per 100 square
> feet of lab space. Additionally, only two gallons of solvents in safety
cans
> or fire safety cabinets per 100 square feet are allowed.
>
> Despite that requrement I have never worked in, or even seen a lab, in
> compliance with this requirement! I might also add that In the eight CAP
> inspections I have gone through I have never been cited for violating that
> requirement.
>
> Tim Morken
> CDC, Atlanta
>
> See the details here (see CAP proposed general labortory checklist, safety
> section)
>
> http://www.cap.org/html/ftpdirectory/checklistftp.html
>
>
> Details of relavent sections are reprinted below:
>
> From CAP General Laboratory Checklist
>
>
> QUESTION: 01:72000 PHASE: I
> Are safety cans used instead of glass bottles for volumes of flammable
> solvents larger than
> one quart (or larger than one pint for solvents that are highly volatile
> such as ether or
> pentane) if the purity required does not mandate glass storage?
>
> COMMENTARY: 01:72000 PHASE: I
>
> Safety cans should be used for bulk storage of flammable and combustible
> liquid (national fire protection association classes I and II). Metal or
> DOT-approved plastic containers provide an intermediate level of hazard
> containment between glass and safety cans. One pint of a highly volatile
> solvent, such as diethyl ether or pentane, stored in glass has about the
> same ignitability risk as 2 gallons stored in safety cans. Safety cans
> should be used instead of glass bottles if the purity required does not
> mandate glass storage.
>
>  REFERENCE: National Fire Protection Association. Flammable and
combustible
> liquids code.
>  Standard 30, chapter 10-2.2.4.3. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 1991.
>
> QUESTION: 01:72050 PHASE: II
>
> Are supplies of flammable and combustible liquids reasonable for the
> laboratory's needs,
>  and are they properly stored?
>
> NOTE: In each laboratory area, up to 1 gallon of Class I, II, and IIIA
> liquids may be stored on open shelving for each 100 ft2. Up to 2 gallons
of
> Class I, II, and IIIA liquids may be stored in safety cans and safety
> cabinets for each 100 ft2.
>
> COMMENTARY: 01:72050 PHASE: II
>
> The supplies of flammable liquids were excessive or they were improperly
> stored. No more than 1 gallon of class I, II, and IIIA liquids may be
stored
> on open shelving per 100 ft2 in any laboratory work area. No more than 2
> gallons of class I, II, and IIIA liquids may be stored in safety cans and
> safety cabinets per 100 ft2 in any laboratory work area.
>
> REFERENCES: 1) National Fire Protection Association. Flammable and
> combustible liquids code.
> Standard 30. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 1991; 2) National Fire Protection
> Association. Standard 99,
>  chapter 10-7.2.2. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 1991.
>
> QUESTION: 01:72100 PHASE: II
>
> Are storage areas and/or rooms where volatile solvents are used adequately
> ventilated?
>
> COMMENTARY: 01:72100 PHASE: II
>
> Areas where flammable liquids are used must be ventilated for protection
of
> employee health, as well as fire prevention. Areas where flammable liquids
> are stored should be ventilated primarily for fire protection. Storage
> cabinets do not need to be vented, but if they are vented the duct system
> must be explosion proof.
>
> REFERENCE: National Fire Protection Association. Flammable and combustible
> liquids code.
> Standard 30. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 1991.
>
> QUESTION: 01:72150 PHASE: II
>
> Are flammable or combustible liquids or gas cylinders positioned well away
> from open
>  flame or other heat sources, not in corridors and not within exhaust
> canopies?
>
> COMMENTARY: 01:72150 PHASE: II
>
> Flammable or combustible liquids or gas cylinders must not be positioned
> near open flame, heat sources, in corridors, or within exhaust canopies.
>
> REFERENCE: National Fire Protection Association. Standard 99, chapter
> 10-7.2.4. Quincy, MA:
> NFPA, 1993.
>
> QUESTION: 01:72200 PHASE: I
>  Is there evidence of the provision to ground a secondary container when
> flammables are
>  decanted from large drum (bulk) containers?
>
> COMMENTARY: 01:72200 PHASE: I
>
> Transfer of flammable liquid from bulk storage containers should be made
in
> storage rooms as
> described in NFPA 30, and the secondary container(s) should be grounded to
> prevent static
> electrical discharge if it is constructed of metal or other conductive
> material.
>
> REFERENCES: 1) National Fire Protection Association. Flammable and
> combustible liquids code.
> Standard 30. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 1991; 2) National Fire Protection
> Association. Recommended
> practice on static electricity. Standard 77. Quincy, MA: NFPA, 1993.
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Fuller, Michelle [mailto:mfuller@acmlab.com]
> Sent: Monday, May 07, 2001 2:22 PM
> To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
> Subject: Recycled Solvents
>
>
> Hi-
> We are in the process of  purchasing a 10 gal. Solvent Recycler.  We are
> recycling reagent alcohol and Pro-Par (Xylene substitute).  We are using
> 10 gal. containers for the waste solvent and 5 gal. containers for the
> recycled solvent.  We are a little concerned with the amount of solvents
> we have on site now.  It was easy to store the 1 gal. containers in a
> flammable cabinet when we purchased them directly from the supplier, but
> now that we are recycling in large batches, we are having difficulty
> storing the 5 gal. containers.  It is even harder to store the 10 gal.
> waste containers (they are on wheels).  I am interested to see how other
> labs handle the high volume of solvents that they are recycling.
>
> Also, if anyone knows of any regulations on the amount of these reagents
> that you can store outside of a flammable cabinet, please let me know. I
> am having a hard time getting any info.  I have been told many different
> amounts ranging from 1 liter of solvent to 10 gals.
>
> Thanks in advance for any information.
>
> Michelle Fuller
> Histology Supervisor
> ACM Medical Laboratory, Inc.
> Rochester, N.Y.
>
> mfuller@acmlab.com
>