Spills are either significant or insignificant. What determines significance? If additional help is needed the spill is considered significant. The amount of the chemical or radioactive material spilled is not the major concern. The major concern is the life threatening potential of the spill. Flammability, chemical toxicity, radiation level, and concentration are very important factors in determining whether a spill is significant or insignificant.
If the containers of chemicals around you are not familiar, then any spill is of concern.
Make the initial assessment of the situation with your senses:
- Does it smell bad?
- Is it hurting the eyes, nose, or throat?
- Does the material cause choking or difficulty in breathing?
- Does the material cause nauseation?
- Does the material cause dizziness?
- Is the material smoking, sizzling, or hissing?
- Is the spill in a chemistry lab (as opposed to being in a kitchen)?
If all of the above questions' answers are "no," then it is possible the spill should be considered insignificant (even though it may have chronic health or environmental significance). The last question is based on the fact that chemicals in laboratories are more likely to be concentrated or highly reactive than the commercial and consumer products commonly found in kitchens.
If all of the above questions' answers are "no," then you can usually take the time to read the label or MSDS, and from that information decide whether the spill should be considered insignificant and cleaned up, or the spill should be considered significant and help should be called.
If you are familiar with the contents of containers and the environment where a spill occurs, you can choose a commensurate response based on your knowledge about the chemicals. For example, the chemical may smell bad or burn the eyes and throat, but you may know that these mild symptoms occur even at concentrations that are not harmful. In this case, you would consider the spill to be insignificant. If a chemical is regularly used, then its properties are likely to be well known.
This very same chemical spill might well be a significant spill to a different person, who did not have the detailed knowledge about that chemical. For the purpose of this procedure, if it is necessary for additional help to be called, consider the spill to be significant.
