Site
Visit Story—Inventory Management in a Health Care Lab
Story:
During a site visit to an independent health care laboratory,
on request MnTAP staff looked at some of the chemicals they
were storing. The presence of several opened bottles of picric
acid was questioned. The acid is used as a reagent in lab
analysis. But, old picric acid can crystallize and become
explosive.
Prevention tip:
When some chemicals are stored for too long they become ineffective
and even dangerous. Base the quantity of your chemical purchases
on the amount you are using. MnTAP staff suggested that health
care laboratory contact the acid's manufacturer to determine
if the material was still good or how to dispose of it safely.
The lab called the manufacturer and determined that the picric
acid was still usable and learned more about the shelf-life
of the product.
To request that a staff person come out
and visit your company to offer customized suggestions for
waste reduction and management, call MnTAP at 612.624.1300.
