University buildings contain
array of hazardous chemicals
By John Burket
Of IIm Kmerald
Hazardous chemicals are a
fact of 20th century life Broadly
defined, a hazardous chemical
is any substance that poses a
threat to human health and
safety.
That includes many everyday
household items as well as
specialized-use chemicals
found at the University.
‘'Probably every building on
campus contains hazardous
chemicals.” said Tom Hicks.
University environmental
health officer.
"Paint thinner, photographic
fixer, printing ink. bottled gases
— all of these are considered
hazardous, mostly because they
are either flammable or toxic,"
Hicks said.
Governmental agencies that
monitor hazardous materials
separate them into four
categories: flammable, cor
rosive. reactive and toxic.
Examples of each category are
gasoline, which is a flammable
chemical; powerful acids and
bases, which are corrosives; ex
plosive chemicals (that can ex
plode sometimes in the
presence of only air or water),
which are reactives; and
poisonous or carcinogenic
chemicals, which are toxics.
1 he three places on campus
where hazardous chemicals are
consolidated into relatively
small storage areas are the
Physical Plant, the art depart
ment and the chemistry storage
room,” Hicks said.
Chemistry Storage Manager
Have Senkovich said. “We store
a lot of vet;y dangerous
chemicals here in one place."
"It’s not so much what is
stored, but how it is stored that
is essential for safety. For in
stance, simply storing certain
chemicals alphabetically on a
shelf could be disasterous. If
three chemicals such as
acetone, manganese and per
chloric acid got knocked over at
the same time you would have
an unbelievably explosive reac
tion and a fire that is nearly im
possible to control.” Senkovich
said.
"Chemicals are arranged by
their own storage code that
places those which would react
with each other in completely
different areas.”
Hicks and Senkovich both say
flammable chemicals stored on
campus pose the greatest
danger.
‘‘We store about 4,800
pounds of flammable organic
chemicals here. That's about
one fourth of what used to be
stored. We have a policy of
keeping on hand only what is
used up quickly,” Senkovich
said. “By holding our inventory
in line with demand, we can cut
down on the need to store ex
cessive amounts of flam
mables," he added
Flammable organic chemicals
such as alcohols are stored in a
separate fireproof room that is
well ventilated.
“Our storage of flammables
complies with and in some
ways exceeds the state fire mar
shal’s guidelines," Senkovich
said.
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"The regulations say that
flammables may be stored only
in containers of 2 gallons or
less, so that is what we do even
though 5-gallon containers are
much less expensive per unit
volume," he said.
"We even have a fireproof
cabinet inside our fireproof
room.” Senkovich added smil
ing. "How is that for safety?"
Toxic chemicals also are on
stock in Chemical Storage. A
tour through the carefully ar
ranged shelves reveals items
such as arsenic, mercury and
cyanide.
Carbon monoxide, a very
deadly gas used for metal work
in the art department, is stored
in large tanks at the end of one
aisle. Several known car
cinogens. such as carbon
tetrachloride and benzene, also
are found in Chemical Storage.
“We have on hand about 25
pounds at a time of the highly
toxic chemicals. The things that
are real bad I special order only
the amount I need," Senkovich
said.
I he storage ot hazardous
chemicals is only one aspect of
their presence at the University;
what happens to the chemicals
after they are used by the
various departments is the con
cern of the Environmental
Health Office.
Before 1982. most hazardous
chemicals used at the Universi
ty were flushed down the drain
when they were no longer need
ed. Hicks said.
Because of stricter laws,
hazardous wastes are no longer
flushed into the sewage system
or sent to local landfills.
About 50 percent of the
University's hazardous waste
goes to the hazardous waste
disposal facility in Arlington.
Ore.. Hicks said. Thirty per
cent. including sulfuric acid,
mercury, paint thinner and
sodium metal is sent to various
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places to be recycled, while 5
percent is in good enough shape
to be stored and reused.
The rest, which is made up of
non-hazardous insolubles, is
put in barrels and sent to the
Short Mountain landfill. Hicks
added.
"We also handle about 40
cubic feet a month of low-level
radioactive wastes." Hicks said.
All radioactive material arriv
ing at the University goes first
to the Environmental Health Of
fice so its type, quantity and
destination can lie checked
before going on to one of the 35
authorized users, he said.
The radioactive waste is then
returned to Hicks and checked
again, he said.
"About 80 percent of what we
first receive comes back to us in
the form of waste." flicks said.
"The rest can l>e accounted for
by the decay of short-lived
isotopes and some limited
spillage."
Short-lived radioactive
isotopes arc stored for quick
decay and are then either burn
ed at the Physical Plant in
cinerator or flushed down the
drain when their radioactivity
has reached the legally accep
table level for these procedures,
he said.
Long-lived isotopes, such as
carbon-14. an; shipped to the
radioactive waste disposal site
at Hanford. Wash., Hicks said.
Both Hicks and Senkovich
believe channeling the pur
chase of all hazardous
chemicals through Chemical
Storage, coupled with more ex
tensive computerized record
keeping, would increase the
already high safety standards
for handling hazardous
chemicals.
"For less than $20.1)00 we
can have a system that will toll
us exactly who has how much
of a certain chemical, its date of
purchase and its hazard level.
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