2015 Volume 6 Issue 2 Pages 99-102
To conduct a risk assessment of chemical substances in laboratories appropriately, considering both chemical hazards and how experimenters use chemical substances is important. In this study, we focus on the chemical risk of washing bottles. The direct observation of washing bottle usage in an actual academic laboratory suggested that the washing bottles were used very frequently for both experimental and non-experimental purposes at various places in the laboratory. From the experimental data of spatial and temporal profiles of acetone concentration in a model operation of rinsing using a washing bottle, it was confirmed that the momentary concentration on the bench can reach a much higher level than the administrative control levels of acetone. These results strongly suggest that the local airflow at and around the lab bench is crucial for avoiding chemical exposure and chemical hazards during the rinsing operation.