Hazardous Materials

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Hazardous Materials

What Are They ?

The definition of a Hazardous Material from the book, The Chemistry of Hazardous Materials, by Eugene Meyer, states that a substance is considered to be a hazardous material when it is one of the following: "Flammable, Explosive, Corrosive, Toxic, Radioactive, or if it readily decomposes to oxygen at elevated temperatures." Also, by definition, the United States Department of Transportation defines a hazardous substance as a material capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety, and property when transported.

A common sense approach is that a material could be considered hazardous when it escapes its container and hurts or harms the thing it touches. This definition was from a Hazardous Material Response team leader who was realistic as to what Hazardous Materials really are.

The more aware people become of hazardous materials, waste products, and recyclable materials, the more questions arise as to where these materials can be disposed of and recycled.

Cities, towns, and villages have become more concerned with recycling. Paper goods, plastics, yard waste, and glass materials are now commonly being sorted for recycling or composting; however, the disposal of common household hazardous wastes has not been addressed. Corporations must dispose of controlled and hazardous wastes by hiring a waste management firm, yet household wastes are either dumped in the sewer or thrown in the garbage to be dumped at the local landfill, possibly with injurious effects to refuse employees or the environment.

In an effort to reduce the hazards and improve disposal methods the table shown below gives examples on how and where to dispose of common household hazardous materials. This list is not totally inclusive nor can it be considered the BIBLE of common household disposal, but it does have recommendations or ideas until a more effective and efficient means of disposal can be established.

RECOMMENDED WAYS TO HANDLE COMMON HOUSEHOLD WASTES
Hazardous material	Re-use the Material	Dilute and Flush Down Drain	Put in Trash (may need special precautions)	Return to Manufacturer or Retailer	Take to Recycling Location	Specialized Hazardous Waste Collection Site	Comments
AUTO SUPPLIES
Car Battery	Only if usable		Never	2nd best	Best	3rd Best	Contains lead and strong acid
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
Crankcase oil	Not recommended	Never	Never		Best	2nd best	Some service stations accept used oil.
Fuels - gas, etc.	If usable	Never	Never		Unavailable	Best	Try to use up fuel
Antifreeze	If usable	Best	Never		Unavailable	2nd best	Contains methyl alcohol
PAINTING, REFINISHING SUPPLIES
Latex paints	Best	Never	3rd Best (evaporate first)			2nd best
Oil-base paint, varnish lacquer	Best	Never	3rd Best (evaporate first)			2nd best
Paint thinner, turpentine, mineral spirits	Best	Never	Not recommended		2nd best (If available)	3rd best	Solvents can be reused if solids settle out.
*Paint stripper:*
With Methylene chloride	2nd best	Never	Never			Best	Methylene chloride based paint stripper one of the most dangerous household substances.
With sodium hydroxide	Best	3rd best	Never			2nd best
BUILDING AND HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS
Fluorescent lamp ballast	Never	Never	Never			Best	Pre-1978 ballasts may contain PCB's.
Defective smoke detectors	Never		Not recommended	Best		Will not accept	Contains radioactive material.
Flashlight batteries	Never		Last resort		Best	2nd best	Rechargeable batteries are especially hazardous.
Wood preservative	Only if free of banned chemicals.	Never	Never			Best	Cresote, penta and arsenic are dangerous.
Pressure-treated wood scraps, saw dust	If usable	Never	2nd (Wrap in plastic)			Best	Do not burn wood scraps.
Adhesives, caulks, etc.	If usable	Never	2nd best (evaporate first)			Best
Asbestos	Never	Never	Never			Only legal option.	May be able to encapsulate rather than remove.
Lead pipe	If usable		Never		Best	2nd best
CLEANING SUPPLIES
Oven/drain cleaner	Best	3rd best	Never			2nd best	Contains highly caustic sodium hydroxide.
Cleaning materials with solvents & petroleum distillates	Best	3rd best	Not recommended			2nd best
Ammonia cleaners	Best	3rd best	Not recommended			2nd best
Chloride bleach	Best	3rd best	Not recommended			2nd best
Spot remover/dry cleaning solvent	Best	Never	Never			2nd best
ART AND CRAFT SUPPLIES
Artist paints with lead, cadium and other hazards	Best	Never	3rd (slit open and evaporate first)			2nd best	Lead and other dangerous pigments are not banned from artist paints.
*Photographic chemicals:*
Unmixed solids	Best	Never	Not recommended	2nd best		3rd best
Used Solutions	Never	Last resort	Never		Best (or reclaim chemicals yourself)	2nd best	Write to Kodak for publication J-52.
Ceramic glass	3rd	Never	Best (solidify by firing first)			2nd best	Some ceramic glazes contain lead, uranium and other hazardous substances.
Solvents	Best	Alcohol okay	Not recommended			2nd best	May be able to reuse solvents by letting solids settle out.
Resins, epoxy	Best (if still good)	Never	Best (solidify first)			3rd best
PESTICIDES
Banned pesticides	Never	Never	Never	Best		2nd best	These may be very dangerous.
Unused legal pesticides, including poisons, flea powders & sprays, moth balls	2nd best	Never	3rd (wrap in plastic)	Usually not possible		Best	If giving pesticides to someone else, make sure they are in original containers and clearly marked with safety precautions.
Empty pesticide containers			2nd best (wrap in plastic)			Best