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Minor Hazardous materials or waste spills that present no immediate
threat to personnel safety, health, or to the environment can be
cleaned up by laboratory personnel that use the materials or generate
the waste. A Minor hazardous material spill is generally defined
as a spill of material that is not spilled in large quantity, does
not present a significant fire hazard, can be recovered before it
is released to the environment, and is not in a public area such
as a common hallway. Such a spill can usually be controlled and
cleaned up by one or two personnel.
Major hazardous material and waste spills should be reported to
the MIT emergency number (X100) to receive immediate professional
assistance and support in the control and clean up of the spilled
material. Major hazardous materials and waste spills are generally
defined as having a significant threat to safety, health, or the
environment. These spills generally are a highly toxic material
or is spilled in large quantity, may present a significant fire
hazard, cannot be recovered before it is released to the environment,
or is spilled in a public area such as a common hallway. Upon reporting
such a spill personnel should stand by at a safe distance to guide
responders and spill clean up experts to the spill area.
In the case of a spill that presents a situation immediately dangerous
to life or health, or a situation with significant risk of fire,
personnel should evacuate the area and summon emergency assistance
by dialing the MIT emergency number (x100), activating a fire alarm
station, or both.
Hazardous material users and hazardous waste generators must be
aware of the properties of the materials they use and the waste
they generate. Properties of Materials are most commonly found in
material safety data sheets and many publications. A good guide
to finding other sources of information is found in "Prudent Practices
in the Laboratory."
Burning Sulfur
Reactions that produce useful chemicals can also cause environmental
problems. Sulfur dioxide (SO2), for instance, produced by burning
sulfur in air (above), is the precursor of sulfuric acid (H2SO4),
which in turn is used to produce fertilizer. Sulfur, however, is
a common impurity in fossil fuels used for home heating and the
production of electricity. Large amounts of SO2 are thus produced
under uncontrolled conditions, causing both local air pollution
as well as the larger problems of acid rain.
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