Universities by nature accumulate chemical compounds for any of a number of reasons, according to Lonon. Often the chemicals are bought in bulk because they may be less expensive in large quantities. However, the amount saved by buying in bulk may be more than offset by the cost of disposing of the excess. Thus making purchases in the smallest quantities needed is encouraged, according to Lonan. Researchers retire or leave the University and leave chemicals behind that often go unused.
Some chemicals have a limited shelf-life and become unstable or decompose altogether over time.
The spring and summer months have served as a final push for UA departments to take inventory and report chemical materials for possible discard. We've had a number of departments request additional training in chemical hygiene as well as walk-throughs of their facilities so that we might make suggestions on how their chemicals might be stored better. This includes the cost of packaging the materials for disposal and payment to contractors that specialize in such disposal. The University, with the assistance of local authorities, has conducted two detonations of the potentially explosive picric acid since October. As these materials were turned in, they were stored in a safe location until the pick-up.