Are we vaping hazardous waste?

[jlarsen]

So I was working in the claims department at a major retail chain store today. I scan a box of nicotine gum, no problem, it can be sent back to the return center (maybe only because the package wasn't broken). I scan a broken package of nicotine lozenges, the scanner tells me it is classified as hazardous (because there is a difference between nicotine gum and nicotine lozenges or because the package was broken it has to be treated as hazardous, I'm not totally sure which, maybe the gum would be too if the package had been broken).

I then have to put on goggles, gloves and a rubber apron, prepare a five gallon haz. waste bucket with a liner and label (including filling out the label on the bucket), prepare a haz. waste bag, fill out the label on the hazardous waste bag, prepare a second bucket liner and tag, fill out the tag, pour the lozenges into the haz. waste bag, seal it, put the haz. waste bag into the second bucket liner, tie a knot in it, put the tag on the bucket liner, and place the bucket liner into the haz. waste bucket, which already has its own plastic liner, and then put a lid on the bucket and store it on a pallet with the rest of the hazardous waste.

With three security cameras watching my station 24/7, were I to let even one lozenge go into the regular trash, or forget to wear the safety equipment, or not fill out a tag or label correctly, etc., I could be subject to a fine, termination, and a fine for my employer.

LOL! Nicotine is some dangerous s**t!

Of course a similar (but even more complicated) procedure applies to liquid dishwasher detergent, and toilet bowl cleaner.

 

[permafrying]

lol ya nicotine is very very poisonous. that small of an ammount not really to one of us but to a little kid or an animal it would be. don't see why they made it such a pain for you though. there's a lake up in delta that has mercury in it and they let people swim in it..

 

[Gristle]

And peeps wonder why stuff costs so much.

 

[Enigma32]

Welcome to america, home of frivilous lawsuits.

Someone in some cubicle somewhere felt it was more cost effective to implement those procedures than risk some crazy lawsuit down the road.

 

[Critter Man]

Crazy stuff.

Nicotine is a hazardous substance. The pure article splashed on your skin can be fatal. Your employer is just making very sure that they can't be sued. The products you are handling are meant to be put in your mouth as needed.

Nicotine is worthy of your respect. Don't drink the liquid, only vape it. Keep away from pets, children, and those who don't know not to drink things. Know the side effects of nicotine overdose, and stop vaping if you experience any. Never put liquid with a higher nicotine content than 36 mg/mL in your PV. All of these warnings are available in the new members information in these forums.

That said, nicotine is a drug. When used correctly it works correctly. When used incorrectly, bad things can happen. Simple as that.

 

[Diablo]

there's a lake up in delta that has mercury in it and they let people swim in it..

LOL

I always wonder how much crap is going in my lungs when I am stuck behind a school bus blowing black diesel fumes in my face, not to mention all the kids on board it, getting on and off. You never hear anybody complaining about any second hand diesel fumes. At least on a big truck they vent it out top. Then again any sickness,cancer or disease people may get from it they can just say it was from cigarette smoke, it kind of covers it all.


D


As for the mercury they can blame that on eating more than 1 can of tuna a month...

 

[Gristle]

LOL

I always wonder how much crap is going in my lungs when I am stuck behind a school bus blowing black diesel fumes in my face, not to mention all the kids on board it, getting on and off. You never hear anybody complaining about any second hand diesel fumes. At least on a big truck they vent it out top. Then again any sickness,cancer or disease people may get from it they can just say it was from cigarette smoke, it kind of covers it all.


D


As for the mercury they can blame that on eating more than 1 can of tuna a month...

When I was in High School, we used to play with mercury on our desk in Chemistry. Also had sheets of asbestos cloth you would tear apart to use as flame proofing for glasswear during labs.

 

[Diablo]

haha, yep me too


Ahh the good old days

 

[gel drops]

Well and yes there deep..And I'm old I guess!

 

[Iffy]

Ahh the good old days...

... when the air was clean and sex was dirty! Yeah, I'm an ol' fart...

 

[Diablo]

... when the air was clean and sex was dirty! Yeah, I'm an ol' fart...

Yeah man...Leaded gas, big block engines, throw away pull tabs and vinyl albums and Marlboro's actually tasted good

 

[fray]

Yeah man...Leaded gas, big block engines, throw away pull tabs and vinyl albums and Marlboro's actually tasted good

Fire safe additives in marlboros is what made me stop smoking. Horrible taste and bad side effects for me. I hated seeing that "fsc" on the barcode when they first turned them out. Went out of my way to find stores that still had stock of the good stuff. I think they lost more smokers to the fsc than burned up.

 

[newplague]

So I was working in the claims department at a major retail chain store today. I scan a box of nicotine gum, no problem, it can be sent back to the return center (maybe only because the package wasn't broken). I scan a broken package of nicotine lozenges, the scanner tells me it is classified as hazardous (because there is a difference between nicotine gum and nicotine lozenges or because the package was broken it has to be treated as hazardous, I'm not totally sure which, maybe the gum would be too if the package had been broken).

I then have to put on goggles, gloves and a rubber apron, prepare a five gallon haz. waste bucket with a liner and label (including filling out the label on the bucket), prepare a haz. waste bag, fill out the label on the hazardous waste bag, prepare a second bucket liner and tag, fill out the tag, pour the lozenges into the haz. waste bag, seal it, put the haz. waste bag into the second bucket liner, tie a knot in it, put the tag on the bucket liner, and place the bucket liner into the haz. waste bucket, which already has its own plastic liner, and then put a lid on the bucket and store it on a pallet with the rest of the hazardous waste.

With three security cameras watching my station 24/7, were I to let even one lozenge go into the regular trash, or forget to wear the safety equipment, or not fill out a tag or label correctly, etc., I could be subject to a fine, termination, and a fine for my employer.

LOL! Nicotine is some dangerous s**t!

Of course a similar (but even more complicated) procedure applies to liquid dishwasher detergent, and toilet bowl cleaner.

I used to work for a company called Clean Harbors in Utah. It is a Haz waste disposal center. I personally have taken 55 gallon drums of nicotine gum and lozenges and sent them to the incinerator. We used to get crazy stuff in there all the time. TSA used to send us all the confiscated alcohol and perfume to be gotten rid of.

 

[Sandrita]

Crazy!! But nicotine is very poisonous in its pure form and I guess somebody doesn't want to risk going to court!

 

[GERGOZ]

Fire safe additives in marlboros is what made me stop smoking. Horrible taste and bad side effects for me. I hated seeing that "fsc" on the barcode when they first turned them out. Went out of my way to find stores that still had stock of the good stuff. I think they lost more smokers to the fsc than burned up.

yep, that "fsc" was the last straw for me, too

thats when i got serious about alternatives

 

[Critter Man]

FSC... don't get me started.

Government-mandated poisonous additives placed in a product that millions are already addicted to. Qualifies as a human rights violation in my book. If our government started placing poisons in illegal drugs, the world would demand that it be stopped. Smokers? Oh, fine, go ahead and do what you want to them.

That's why I started making ALL of my own cigarettes. I use tubes that don't have FSC.

 

[Secti0n31]

As someone who works with both, there is a very big difference between hazmat and haz waste. Anything poisonous like rubbing alcohol, bleach, fertilizer or ammonia is considered hazmat. Since nicotine can be absorbed through the skin, they don't want their clerks getting "addicted" trans-dermally. Nicotine is lethal, if you downed a 10ml bottle of even low nic juice, it would poison and probably kill you. Anything that can do that is a hazardous material. Grocery stores don't sell raw caffeine, if they did, that would be considered hazmat too.

 

[jlarsen]

As someone who works with both, there is a very big difference between hazmat and haz waste. Anything poisonous like rubbing alcohol, bleach, fertilizer or ammonia is considered hazmat. Since nicotine can be absorbed through the skin, they don't want their clerks getting "addicted" trans-dermally. Nicotine is lethal, if you downed a 10ml bottle of even low nic juice, it would poison and probably kill you. Anything that can do that is a hazardous material. Grocery stores don't sell raw caffeine, if they did, that would be considered hazmat too.

They sell things like noDoz, and Vivarin, and other caffeine tablets, which I'm assuming would probably be considered hazardous if the containers were damaged, not pure caffeine, but still pretty concentrated.

 

[jlarsen]

Found this with a google search:

excerpt from a news article - "Wal-Mart was accused of improperly dumping hazardous waste such as acid, aerosols, chemicals, fertilizer, motor oil, paint and pesticides.

In one instance, according to an April 2 court filing, investigators in April 2002 observed "piles of multicolored

unknown fertilizer type substances and torn sacks of ammonium sulfate" at a Wal-Mart store in Vacaville, California, after learning a child had been playing on a pile of "yellowish colored powder" near the store's garden department.

The accord calls for Wal-Mart to pay a $20 million fine, $3 million to improve store maintenance, $3 million for other environmental projects, and $1.6 million for legal costs."

So California sued WM successfully for $27.6 million total. So yeah, basically this is to keep them from getting sued. Though according to what we were taught during training, it isn't just store policy, it is OSHA policy, and the store can be fined anywhere from $25,000 to $250,000 per incident.