Comply with all safety recommendations from the supplier of the the bottle and from the supplier of the regulator or manual control. Insure that any fixtures attached to the lecture bottle comply with the manufacturers instructions Insure that purging procedures are complied with if applicable When the lecture bottle is empty, mark it as such with an indelible marker. Some bottles are hazardous even when empty. DO NOT store unneeded lecture bottles of hazardous gases for some possible future use. Reason Disposal of hazardous lecture bottles is one of the most difficult, expensive waste management operations.
Few suppliers are willing to take back their cylinders.
Lecture bottles with unknown contents can cost thousands of dollars to dispose. Old bottles can also pose a significant hazard to both lab personnel and others. Small leaks in storage can damage nearby equipment. Adopted by the Chemical Hazards Committee, November 1994 Copyright 1999 University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Produced and maintained by UMass Environmental Health and Safety, a division of Administration and Finance .