Managing Peroxide Forming Chemicals
How to safely manage peroxide forming chemicals in New York City?
For many years, Columbia University has managed time-sensitive chemicals in accordance with New York City Fire Department (FDNY) requirements. A revision to FDNY’s requirements, creating alignment with a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) consensus standard, brings a change in FDNY’s enforcement strategy and, consequently, impacts all laboratories operating in New York City. All chemicals in Table 1 must be dated at the time of opening and disposed of or tested for safety within 6 months. Commonly cited chemicals are bolded in the list below.
Acetal
Acrylonitrile
Acetaldehyde
Benzyl alcohol
Butadiene
Chlorotrifluoroethylene
Chloroprene
2-Cyclohexene-1-ol
Cumene
Decahydronapthalene
Diacetylene
Dicyclopentadiene
Diethyl ether
Diethylene glycol
Dimethyl ether
Dioxane
Ether
Ethylene glycol dimethyl ether
Methyl acetylene
Methyl isobutyl ketone
3-Methyl-1-butanol
Methylcyclopentane
Methyl methacrylate
4-Pentene-1-ol
2-Phenylethanol
Styrene
Tetrafluoroethylene
Tetrahydrofuran
Tetrahydronapthalene
Vinyl acetate
Vinyl acetylene
Vinyl chloride
Vinyl ethers
Vinyl pyridine
- Label and date the chemical at the time of opening.
- Use, dispose or test for safety within 6 months of opening.
- If tested and deemed safe for continued use, write the test date on the label.
- Use or dispose of the chemical as a hazardous waste one year after opening.
