Searching for perchloric acid salts in laboratory hoods at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

摘要

In the 50 years that Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has been conducting energy research, many operations have involved the use of hot perchloric acid in laboratory hoods. The salts resulting from such operations, if accumulated in these systems, can possible lead to flammable and explosive conditions, placing users and maintenance personnel at risk. In 1991, ORNL initiated a study to determine whether these hoods and exhaust systems were contaminated with perchlorate salts. A perchloric acid committee was established at ORNL consisting of industrial hygienists, chemists, engineers, and health physicists, as well as personnel from industrial safety, fire protection, and environmental compliance. The committee was tasked to identify systems where perchloric acid had been used, determine associated risks, and make recommendations for abatement procedures. The study was divided into a five-phase approach: (1) identification of hoods and systems currently and historically used for hot perchloric acid procedures (questionnaire survey); (2) development of evaluation procedures (testing and analytical); (3) actual testing/sampling of suspect/confirmed hoods; (4) analysis of results of samples (determination of risks and acceptable contamination level); and (5) development of decontamination procedures (purpose to decontaminate, repair, and remove if necessary).