Unit C Section 3.4 Flashcards
Hazardous household chemicals include:
- household cleaners
- personal hygiene products
- pet-care products
- paint and paint products
- pesticides and fertilizers
- automotive fluids
Improper transport, storage, and disposal of these products can contribute to:
health problems such as burns, heart, kidney, and lung ailments, cancer, and even death
What is the purpose of government regulation on products?
-to protect consumers and reduce the risks of transporting, storing, using, and disposing of hazardous materials.
- research considers not only the effects of a
the product alone, but also its interactions with other products.
What are the different purposes that need labels?
- transport,
- supply,
- use in the workplace,
- disposal
What is the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)?
EXTRA INFO ABOUT THE PRODUCT
The MSDS gives a detailed description of the product—its composition,
physical appearance,
chemical characteristics
The MSDS also describes the precautions that should be taken when handling, using, transporting, and disposing of the product
provides details of health effects, first aid treatments, and spill procedures.
Companies applying for product approval must follow a strict testing process according to government
legislation.
They must also provide detailed information that includes:
- intended use, physical and chemical properties, active ingredient(s)
- instructions for use, safety precautions
- health effects, environmental effects, toxicity to humans, and first aid instructions in case of poisoning
safe storage suggestions:
■ Leave all products in their original containers with the label intact.
■ Keep all products in a location not accessible to children.
■ Be sure all containers are in good condition and have secure lids.
■ Store products in a cool, dry, ventilated place away from pilot lights, stoves, and water heaters. If you can smell a household product that is in storage, the lid may be loose or ventilation may not be adequate.
■ Never store flammable liquids and gases in glass containers—they might break. Store gasoline in a metal container with a safety cap, or a red plastic container approved for use with gasoline. Keep it outside the house in a storage shed. Never store propane inside the house because a leak can cause an explosion.
■ Store corrosive, flammable, reactive, and poisonous products on separate shelves or in separate locations.
■ Do not store oxidizers such as hydrogen peroxide, pool chemicals, and some fertilizers near flammable liquids. Oxidizers can cause other substances to burn.
■ Place products in their storage areas so that they cannot fall over.
■ Always return a hazardous product to its storage place when you have finished using it.
■ Safely discard hazardous substances that are old or not needed.
■ If a container is rusting or leaking, place it inside a second, secure container. Dispose of both containers together at a household hazardous waste collection site.
There are two times when you or your family transport hazardous household materials:
- when the product is first bought
* when the unused portion of the product or the waste from it is taken to a hazardous waste collection site
How should the hazardous product be transported
- kept out of the reach of children and family pets.
- should be placed in the trunk of the car or the box of the truck.
- containers stand upright and do not move.
- never mix them together in one container (may cause a chemical reaction that results in an explosion or a poisonous product)
- products should be left in their original containers
How shouldn’t the hazardous product be disposable?
- Never pour hazardous wastes down a drain or into the soil, or garbage.
- can contribute to contamination of drinking water, soil, and even air.
Why is pouring hazardous products down the drain bad?
- Chemicals go into public sewer systems or septic tanks.
- sewage treatment processes are not effective in removing some hazardous chemicals
- , the chemicals are accidentally released to surface water
How should the hazardous product be disposed of?
They can be given to collection sites
-Wastes such as paints and fertilizers can be taken to these sites for disposal
-Materials that cannot be recycled are safely packaged into larger containers.
-They are then labeled according to government
regulations
safe disposal of household hazardous products:
■ Take antifreeze to a recycling center if one exists in your community. If recycling is not possible, dilute antifreeze well before pouring it down a drain connected to a sewage system
■ Take automotive products such as gasoline and oil to a hazardous waste collection center.
■ Never place car batteries in home garbage because they usually contain lead and sulfuric acid. Batteries can be recycled.
■ Use up bleach according to directions on the container. Never pour it down drains because it might mix with acids or ammonia and create fatal toxic fumes.
■ Use up cleaners and polishes. The empty containers should then be sealed before being thrown in the garbage.
■ Use up corrosive products such as drain cleaners completely according to the directions on the container. Dilute very small amounts of drain cleaners in large quantities of water so that it is safe to pour the diluted mixture down the drain.
■ Take fertilizers and pesticides to a hazardous waste collection site.
■ Take leftover paint and paint products such as paint thinners, turpentine, and varnish to collection sites where they may be recycled.
■ Pack syringes in rigid containers and take them to collection sites.
■ Empty aerosol containers completely so that they will not explode in the garbage. In a well-ventilated area, turn the container upside down with the
nozzle facing a paper towel or other absorbent material. Depress the nozzle until the spray loses pressure.
