4/7/09

Incompatible Mixing

On March 31st, a 4-liter glass bottle of waste aqua regia (nitric and hydrochloric acids) violently exploded in Building 66, destroying the bottle and the secondary containment, damaging other waste containers, shattering the fume hood sash, and scattering glass and acid mist throughout the room. Fortunately, no one was present in the room and there were no injuries. However, this incident had the potential to seriously injure, maim, or kill.

An ongoing investigation reveals that a researcher had erroneously poured waste isopropyl alcohol into the acid waste and closed the cap.  Over the next 30 minutes the nitric acid oxidized the alcohol and pressure built up in the bottle until it exploded. In addition, organic waste containers were stored in the same secondary containment as the oxidizing acid waste, which can be a recipe for a fire. Fortunately in this case, the red flammable liquid cans were not punctured and a fire was avoided. For more on this incident and the important safety precautions you can take to prevent a similar accident, go here.

To review more safety incidents and lessons learned go here.