Lecture Bottle Safety

Lecture bottles must be purchased through UTD procurement following these guidelines:

• Must use Chemical and Gas Account Code 63302
• Must list primary user, laboratory name, and/or course code
• Shipping Address: 2811 Central Receiving, Richardson Tx 75080

When lecture bottles arrive on UTD Campus, Risk & Safety will assign the lecture bottles to the correct laboratory profile, assign a UTD barcode, assign a chemical storage group, and inspect the containers. Any signs of damage and the team will contact you to coordinate disposal and reordering of the hazardous material.

All gases must be used in a sufficiently ventilated area. For toxic/flammable gases, perform work under a fume hood or ensure that the delivery system or experimental apparatus using hazardous gases is enclosed and connect to an exhausted ventilation system.

All flammable/toxic lecture bottles must be stored in either a fume hood or in ventilated flammable storage cabinets.

• All compressed gas cylinders shall be legibly marked with the name of the gas or gas mixture and the primary hazard associated with that chemical, e.g., flammable, oxidizer, etc. All gas cylinders must have a UTD Barcode attached to the cylinder.
• Do not accept a cylinder without a proper label. The gas cylinder must also be tagged or labeled with either “full”, “in use”, or “empty.”
• Inspect lecture bottles and regulators prior to use for integrity. Do not use if corroded, gouged, bulging, pitted, or damaged. Check connections and hosing/tubing for leaks and integrity.
• Lecture bottles must be properly secured and upright during use. Commercially sold lecture bottle stands are available.
• Use engineering controls for toxic gases, e.g., chemical fume hoods.
• Only use regulators and tubing appropriate for the type of gas and that comply with the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Never leave pressure on a hose or line that is not being used.
• Ensure the nearby availability of an eyewash station and emergency shower when working with corrosive gases.
• Never heat a cylinder to raise the pressure of the gas.
• Refilling, repair, or alteration of the cylinder is prohibited.
• Do not place cylinders where they might become part of an electrical circuit or allow them to come into contact with an electrically energized system.
• Follow purging procedures, if available.
• When using highly flammable or toxic gas, check delivery system using an inert gas prior to introducing the hazardous gas.
• Removed any damaged, defective, unused, or empty cylinders from lab space.

Safety glasses are required to be worn for all work involving compressed gas cylinders.

• If the compressed gas is corrosive, safety goggles and proper gloves must also be worn.
• If the compressed gas is flammable, and FCRP lab coat is required.
• Perform a Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) assessment.
• Review the SDS.

• Lecture bottles must be stored in an upright position because lecture bottles are more susceptible to damage and leaks when stored on their side. Lecture bottle holders can be purchased from compressed gas supply companies.
• Segregate incompatible gases such as flammable and oxidizing gases.
• Cylinders of flammable gas must be stored away from sources of heat or ignition, oxidizers, combustibles, and other incompatibles at a distance of at least 20 feet unless separated by a one-hour, fire-rated wall.
• Store toxic gases in a fume hood or gas cylinder cabinet.
• Regulators must be removed during storage.
• Cylinders shall be maintained at temperatures below 125°F (50°C) or within of the temperature range specified by the manufacturer and stored out of direct sunlight.
• Never drop, bang, or strike cylinders against each other or other objects.
• Never stack cylinders.
• Lecture bottles must be properly labeled. Re-label the lecture bottle if the label becomes illegible or falls off.

Unlike other gas cylinders, lecture bottles are not refillable and are purchased outright by the laboratory. Lecture bottles are costly to dispose of. Costs for disposal can range from $100 for a non-hazardous, properly labeled lecture bottle to over $1000 for a hazardous or unlabeled lecture bottle. Follow the guidelines before wasting the bottles:

• Contact the supplier to obtain specific guidelines for shipment of lecture bottles to be returned to them. Two manufacturers will take back lecture bottles, if they meet certain criteria. Matheson Tri-Gas and Sigma Aldrich will take back lecture bottles for a fee. The gases must have been purchased from those companies and must be in good condition.  The laboratory must have the original purchasing information.
• Avoid purchasing non-returnable lecture bottles, or from suppliers who do not accept returned lecture bottles with unused or empty contents.
• Contact OIRSP to arrange for the removal of lecture bottles that cannot be returned to the supplier.
• If the cylinder is empty, write “empty” on the outside of each cylinder and place it in a cardboard container and submit it as a waste pick up. Make sure the name of the gas is legible on the container. Unmarked cylinders will be counted as abandoned hazardous materials and the cost will increase drastically. Labs may incur a surcharge.

• If an employee or student needs emergency medical attention, call UTD Police at 972-883-2222 or 911 immediately.
• Call University Police at 972-883-2222 or 911 immediately if there is a leak involving a hazardous lecture bottle. Evacuate the laboratory if the lecture bottle is not in a fume hood or gas cabinet.

Anhydrous hydrogen fluoride reacts over time with the iron in the steel to form iron fluoride and hydrogen.  The hydrogen pressure can build up to the point where it ruptures the cylinder.

Anhydrous hydrogen fluoride lecture bottles are required to be disposed of within 2 years of purchase.

• Adapted from Tennessee Tech Environmental Health and Safety
• University of Michigan, Lecture Bottles-Compressed Gases SOP
• University of Pennsylvania, Lecture Bottles Safety
• NFPA 55 Compressed Gases and Cryogenics Fluids Code
• OSHA 29 CFR 1910, Subpart H