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Home > Departments > Environment, Health & Safety > EH&S Programs > Chemical Safety > Managing Hazardous Chemical Waste > Unknown Chemicals

Unknown Chemicals

If you have an "unknown" chemical waste:

  1. Do your best to identify the chemical: use whatever information may be on the label, try to find out when and where it came from, talk to previous users of the lab, etc.
  2. Place a UB Hazardous Waste Label on the item - in the contents section, write "unknown". Fill out the generator section as usual.
  3. Store the unknown with your other chemical wastes, keeping compatibility requirements in mind.
  4. Call EH&S on our Service Request Line, 829-2401. Give as much information as possible. A staff member will then meet with you and arrange the appropriate sample analysis.

Please note that EH&S cannot by law pickup any waste from your lab that is "unknown". Following the above procedures will insure the most effect way to deal with this kind of waste.