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Chemical and Laboratory Safety: Home
Safety & Reference Databases
- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease RegistryATSDR serves the public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic substances.
- CAMEO ChemicalsFind response information for thousands of hazardous materials, including fire and explosion hazards, health hazards, firefighting techniques, cleanup procedures, protective clothing, and chemical properties.
- CCOHS Academic Support ProgramCanadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety Academic Support Program provides access to the following databases and collections: MSDS: Material Safety Data Sheets from manufacturers and suppliers; RTECS: Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances; CHEMINFO: Comprehensive health and safety information on pure chemicals; OSH References: OSHLINE, NIOSHTIC, NIOSHTIC-2, HSELINE, CISILO, Canadiana; FTSS: Fiche techniques sur la scurit des substances.
Note: UNC-Chapel Hill Dept. of Environment, Health & Safety is the subscriber to this database. Please contact the Dept. if you have questions about the database or other items related to chemical hygiene. - JoVE Science Education DatabaseVideo collection that teaches laboratory fundamentals through visual demonstrations.
- NIOSHNational Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) data and databases
Safety Books and More
Accident Prevention
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American Chemical Society's Guidelines for Chemical Laboratory Safety in Academic Institutions
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American Chemical Society's Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories, 8th edition
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Chemical Laboratory Safety & Security
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Dow Lab Safety Academy (videos)
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Guidelines for Laboratory Design: health, safety, and environmental considerations
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Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Management of Chemical Hazards
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Safe Science: Promoting a Culture of Safety in Academic Chemical Research
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The Safety Zone by C&EN
Chemical Information
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Dictionary of Substances and Their Effects
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Hazards in the Chemical Laboratory
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Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials
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Sittig's Handbook of Toxic and Hazardous Chemicals and Carcinogens
Journals
Research Laboratory Safety by ISBN: 9783110444391Publication Date: 2016-10-24Research Laboratory Safety explains the most important prerequisite when working in a laboratory: Knowing the potential hazards of equipment and the chemical materials to be employed. Students learn how to assess and control risks in a research laboratory and to identify a possible danger. An approach on the hazard classes such as physical, chemical, biological and radiation hazards is given and exercises to each class prepare for exams.
Bretherick's Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards by ISBN: 9780081010594Publication Date: 2017-03-18Bretherick's Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards, Eighth Edition presents the latest updates on the unexpected, but predictable, loss of containment and explosion hazards from chemicals and their admixtures and actual accidents.
More Guides
Safety Guides
UNC Dept. of Environment, Health and Safety
Biological, Chemical, Environmental, Fire & Emergency, Industrial Hygiene, Laboratory, Radiation, Occupational, Workplace
Laboratory Safety Manual (PDF)
This manual is a safety reference document for laboratory personnel at UNC-CH.This manual provides basic information about hazards that you may encounter in the laboratory and safety precautions to prevent laboratory accidents and minimize exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Other Guides
Chemistry - This guide is a resource for students and researchers studying chemistry.
Science Resources 101 - This guide lists resources that will be helpful for introductory or background research in the sciences.
About the Science Librarians
The Science Librarians are located on the second floor of Davis Library. They can be contacted by email.
Science Librarian
Therese Triumph
she/her/hers
orcid.org/0000-0001-5494-4574Safety and Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) - CHEM 241
- UNC Chemical Safety InformationChemical Safety works to anticipate, recognize, evaluate, and control personnel exposures to chemical hazards.
- OSHA Hazard Communication Standard PictogramHazard Communication Standards (HCS) now include pictograms on labels to alert users of the chemical hazards to which they may be exposed. Here is a chart of the pictograms.
SDS Sources to Start With
Safety Data Sheets (SDS) contain information on chemicals and their properties along with health, physical, and environmental hazards. As they are provided by manufacturers, there is no centralized location so you may have to look in multiple places. Begin with the sources listed:
- SDS plus CHEMINFOA comprehensive collection of over 200,000 Material Safety Data Sheets for chemicals and commercial products.
- UNC Environment, Health and SafetyMore information and resources for SDS.
The Safety Net
- The Safety Net
The Safety Net is a website about safe chemistry lab practices created by professors at UNC-Chapel Hill and UMTC which gathers and shares lab resources including SOPs, signs and checklists, and physical properties databases.