Hello all,

What is the best way to deal with a perchloric acid spill on wood, when the spill occurred several months ago?

A biology faculty member recently retired and his lab space was assigned to another biologist. When the new PI moved into the lab, she discovered purple splash marks on a wooden cabinet. Apparently, the previous PI had spilled some concentrated perchloric acid (70%) and the acid stained the wood. Nobody is sure exactly when the spill occurred-sometime between October 2018 and February 2020.

Besides the risk of spontaneous fire, what other hazards do these doors pose? Should the doors be disposed of as hazardous waste? If so, what hazards should the waste hauler and I consider? The cabinet doors will need to be removed to dispose of them; do they need to be treated as potentially explosive? How should they be stored until our next waste pickup?

A photo of the cabinet is here: https://websteru-my.sharepoint.com/:i:/g/personal/noradunkel51_webster_edu/EQWTp-1gsb9Om9_2J0S82O0BeJAMAFe-lao45vMMYQ77Gg?e=bZFZPS

Thanks for your help!

Nora

Nora Dunkel

Chemical Safety Officer

Webster University

Browning Hall 314

314-246-2244 (office)

661-348-1445 (cell)

noradunkel51**At_Symbol_Here**webster.edu

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