Chemical Safety

Ensuring the safe and compliant use of chemicals on campus.

Chemical Inventory

Office of Environment, Health & Safety

2008

This Fact Sheet will help you decide if you need to do a chemical inventory. For more information about the University of California, Berkeley chemical inventory system, please visit the Chemicals web page.

Read more about Chemical Inventory

Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) Eighth revised edition

UNECE

2018

Read more about Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) Eighth revised edition

Emergency Response Cleaning Up an Unknown Chemical Release or Unknown Abandoned Material

Emergency Response

Office of Environment, Health & Safety

2005

Read more about Emergency Response Cleaning Up an Unknown Chemical Release or Unknown Abandoned Material

Improper Labeling Causes Injury from Acid Spray

September 30, 2004

Office of Environment, Health, and Safety

What Happened?

A UC Berkeley researcher was preparing a sample for microscopy. After he had cleaned the sample with isopropanol, he poured the extra isopropanol into a container for unwanted chemicals labeled “isopropanol.” There was an immediate chemical reaction that caused the plastic container to rupture and spray the mixture around the area. He was later surprised to learn that the container actually held concentrated nitric acid in the form of spent copper etchant.

The researcher was startled and called for help. Other researchers promptly came to his assistance and called 911...