Management of time sensitive chemicals (I): Misconceptions leading to incidents

INTRODUCTION Time-sensitive chemicals are those chemicals that when stored for prolonged periods can develop hazards that were not present in the original formulation. These additional hazards develop from inappropriate and improper storage conditions as well as simply storing the chemicals too long. In the field of chemical management, unfortunately we all too often hear of incidents involving time-sensitive chemicals that occurred and their resulting injury and/or property damage. The following incidents demonstrate the very real need for safer management and better understanding of the hazards of time-sensitive chemicals.