As you look around your laboratory, what do you see? You likely see various lab stations, other lab personnel, and scientists like yourself. You might see empty beakers or a few beakers filled with chemicals ready for an experiment.
Your lab might have limited space, or areas for storage are few and far between. Most importantly, where do you store your chemicals? Or another question you might ask yourself: where should I not store chemicals?
Where NOT to Store Chemicals
The chemicals you work with daily might range from mildly to highly toxic depending on the day (or maybe even the hour!).
1. Why Can’t I Store Chemicals Inside a Fume Hood?
Fume Hoods were never created to be chemical storage cabinets. This will result in hazardous results.
a.) Fume Hoods do not have appropriately designated homes for the various types of chemicals.
b.) There is a high potential for fire, explosion, or other safety hazards.
c.) The shelves were not designed to contain spills; if a chemical were to spill- the entire fume hood would be contaminated.
2. Why Can’t I Store Chemicals in the Open?
Another significant safety hazard is storing chemicals out in the open. It’s important to store chemicals in a filtered storage cabinet to capture all chemicals, toxic fumes, and vapors.
a.) Storing noxious chemicals out in the open would create an unsafe working environment for those in the lab.
b.) By not having a designated and filtered enclosure to store chemicals in, more spills are likely to result, leading to detrimental outcomes such as fires, toxic fumes, or even explosions.
c.) It’s also important to note: NEVER store large containers above shoulder height- to prevent spills.
