From February 9–13, the University of Missouri Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) team invites faculty, staff, and students to take part in Lab Safety Awareness Week 2026. This year’s theme—Safety Is a Team Sport—highlights the shared responsibility we all have in creating safe, compliant, and productive research environments.

Throughout the week, EHS will host a variety of engaging training opportunities and interactive events designed to strengthen safety knowledge while keeping things fun and approachable.

What to Expect This Week:

Digital Fire Extinguisher Training
Practice responding to fire emergencies using digital fire extinguisher simulators. This hands-on training allows participants to safely experience realistic scenarios and build confidence in emergency response—no live fire required.

Vendor Presentation
Learn about safety products, services, and solutions that support laboratory operations. This session offers an opportunity to ask questions and explore tools that can enhance both safety and efficiency in your research spaces.

EHS Trivia & Games
Put your lab safety knowledge to the test with EHS-themed trivia and activities. Have fun, learn something new, and compete for prizes and Mizzou swag.

Safety MVP Award
Help us recognize those who lead by example. The Safety MVP Award honors individuals who demonstrate exceptional commitment to laboratory safety and positively influence their teams. Nominations open during Lab Safety Awareness Week.

Meet Your EHS Team
Lab Safety Awareness Week is also a great opportunity to meet and speak directly with your EHS staff. Stop by to ask questions, discuss safety challenges in your lab, learn about available resources, and build relationships with the people who support your research every day.

Whether you attend a training, play trivia, nominate a colleague, or simply stop by to say hello, your participation helps strengthen a culture where everyone plays a role in safety.

Mark your calendar, bring your team, and join us—because at Mizzou, safety truly is a team sport.

For a full schedule, locations, and additional details, be sure to visit the Lab Safety Awareness Week webpage. 

Article by Ahmed Elsotouhy

Peroxide-forming chemicals are common in academic research laboratories and are often used without incident for years. However, when these materials are stored too long, concentrated, or improperly disposed of, they can quietly become one of the most serious explosion hazards in the research environment. Solvents such as diethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran (THF), as well as unintentionally formed organic peroxides, can accumulate shock-sensitive compounds that pose significant risk to researchers, facilities, and operations.

A review of peroxide-related laboratory incidents at universities over the past several decades shows a clear pattern: most accidents did not occur during complex experiments, but during routine activities like laboratory clean-outs, rotary evaporation, or hazardous waste handling. In several well-documented cases, aged solvents that had not been tested for peroxides detonated when containers were opened, concentrated, or discarded. In others, peroxide residues in “empty” bottles exploded when handled as ordinary glass waste. These incidents highlight that peroxide hazards are not theoretical—they are predictable and repeatable when controls fail.

Major University Peroxide Incidents

• UCSF (1995): Ten-year-old diethyl ether containers exploded during a laboratory clean-out, shattering windows.
  Cause: Long-term storage and high peroxide accumulation.
• UC Berkeley (2006): Unstabilized THF (>100 mg/L peroxides) detonated during rotary evaporation, injuring a student.
  Cause: Concentration of peroxide crystals during near-dry evaporation.
• University of Minnesota (2017): An “empty” solvent bottle containing dry peroxide crystals exploded when discarded.
  Cause: Shock-sensitive peroxide residues in an untreated container.
• University of Bristol (2017): Approximately 30–40 g of TATP formed unintentionally during an acetone/hydrogen peroxide reaction; a controlled detonation was required.
  Cause: Unintended peroxide byproduct and insufficient hazard mitigation.
• Hong Kong Laboratory (2016): Expired hydrogen peroxide decomposed violently when poured into a metal waste drum, injuring eight individuals.
  Cause: Incompatible container and degraded oxidizer.

Peroxide-Forming Chemicals: What Goes Wrong—and How to Prevent It

Common Failure Modes

• Long-term storage of ethers and THF
• Lack of container dating or routine peroxide testing
• Evaporation or distillation to near-dryness
• Disposal of untreated “empty” containers
• Inadequate assessment of unintended peroxide-forming reaction pathways

Prevention Essentials

• Date all peroxide-forming chemicals and enforce strict expiration timelines
• Test for peroxides before evaporation, distillation, or disposal
• Store materials in cool, dark locations and minimize quantities on hand
• Treat “empty” containers as hazardous; avoid metal containers for oxidizers
• Provide regular, peroxide-specific safety training
• Require PI and EHS review of aging or high-risk peroxide-forming chemicals

Root Causes and Prevention

Across institutions, common root causes emerge. Prolonged storage of peroxide-forming chemicals, lack of routine peroxide testing, underestimation of risks associated with near-dry evaporation, and improper disposal practices were present in nearly every documented incident. Importantly, these hazards were already well documented in safety literature, underscoring that the issue is not a lack of knowledge, but inconsistent application of best practices across the chemical lifecycle.

Preventing peroxide incidents starts with strong inventory management: dating containers upon receipt and opening, limiting storage time, and removing aged materials before they become dangerous. Peroxide testing should be performed before evaporation, distillation, or disposal, and “empty” containers must be treated as potentially hazardous until verified safe. Just as critical is ongoing training—for students, staff, and faculty—so that peroxide risks remain visible even when experiments become routine.

Faculty and principal investigators play a central role in this process by setting expectations for safe solvent handling, prohibiting near-dry evaporation without verification, and prioritizing laboratory clean-outs during personnel transitions or lab closures. From an EHS perspective, peroxide hazards should be explicitly addressed in inspections, waste procedures, Chemical Hygiene Plans, and safety training programs, using real incident examples to reinforce why these requirements matter.

To support these efforts, MU Environmental Health & Safety is happy to provide peroxide-forming chemical test strips to laboratories, including a starter kit with instructions for use and reordering. This service is intended to make routine peroxide testing easy, accessible, and consistent across campus.

Peroxide-forming chemical incidents are preventable when vigilance, testing, and oversight are consistently applied. By managing these materials from procurement through disposal—and by learning from past incidents—we can protect our researchers and facilities while strengthening our shared safety culture. By working Safer Together, we help ensure that innovation and discovery continue without unnecessary risk.

Article by Colette Faiella and David Rehard

At the heart of much of our work with cell cultures and biohazardous materials is a critical piece of engineering control: the Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC). It serves as a primary barrier, protecting both the user and the product. However, this equipment is only as effective as the practices of the person using it.

Using a BSC safely is not just an individual responsibility—it directly impacts the shared laboratory environment and the colleagues who work in these spaces. Every step in the process, from preparation to cleanup, plays a role in maintaining a safe and compliant laboratory.

Preparation: The Foundation of Safe Work

Safe BSC use begins before your hands enter the cabinet. Proper preparation ensures the cabinet is functioning as intended.

• Purge & Verify
  Always allow the cabinet to run for its required purge time (typically 5 minutes). This step clears particulates and establishes proper airflow, which is essential for effective containment.
• Check Your Defenses
  Verify that the sash is set at the correct operating height and that alarms are functioning properly. Confirm the certification sticker is current; BSCs are required to be certified annually.

During Work: Mindful Movements for Maximum Containment

Once work begins, user technique has a direct impact on containment effectiveness and sample integrity.

• Zoning for Safety
  Organize the workspace from clean to dirty, keeping sterile items separated from waste and contaminated materials. This layout helps minimize cross-contamination and protects both your work and subsequent users.
• The Human Factor
  Move arms in and out of the cabinet slowly and deliberately. Avoid quick or sweeping motions that can disrupt the protective air curtain. BSCs are designed for single-user operation. If a procedure requires two users, it must be reviewed and approved through a documented risk assessment with the Laboratory Supervisor.
• Ergonomics Matter
  Adjust your stool and posture so your face remains above the sash and your arms enter the cabinet comfortably. Proper ergonomics reduce fatigue and help prevent errors.

Completion: Leaving the Cabinet Ready for the Next User

How the cabinet is left after use affects everyone who works in the lab.

• Decontaminate in Place
  Do not turn off the cabinet during cleanup. Close and surface-decontaminate all containers, equipment, and the exterior of biohazard bags inside the BSC before removing them. This step prevents contamination of the surrounding laboratory.
• Thorough Cleaning
  Decontaminate the entire interior of the cabinet, including the work surface, side walls, and the inside of the sash.
• Secure the Cabinet
  Follow your laboratory’s SOP for shutdown procedures, including lights, blower, and UV light use (if applicable), ensuring the sash is closed.

When each user takes ownership of proper BSC practices, we strengthen a shared culture of responsibility and reinforce what it means to work Safer Together.

BSC Certification Update

Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) is currently working to identify and evaluate Biological Safety Cabinet certification vendors to support continued compliance and service needs across campus. This effort is being conducted in collaboration with Procurement and other campus partners, with the goal of establishing reliable certification resources for the entire University of Missouri System.

Additional information will be shared as this process moves forward. In the meantime, laboratories should continue to ensure their BSCs remain within the required annual certification period and notify EHS if certification concerns or scheduling issues arise.

For the most current updates on BSC certification vendors and scheduling, please visit the EHS website.

Resource Reminder

For additional training please visit the EHS Training Courses website.
Biosafety Cabinet Safety

Article by Mason Sherwood

Safer Together: Strengthening Lab Safety One Bottle at a Time

At the University of Missouri, maintaining high-quality drinking water is essential not just for day-to-day campus operations but also for the integrity of scientific research. The Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), is an annual water quality summary that every community water system in Missouri must provide to its customers. Since the University operates its own drinking water distribution system and supplies water to most of the MU campus, it is required to prepare and distribute the annual CCR to the campus community. The CCR, which is required by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and overseen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provides valuable information about the quality of water supplied to our campus. 

What Does the Consumer Confidence Report Include?

The CCR offers a comprehensive overview of the water quality and the potential impact of contaminants on health and safety. Key details include:

• Source of Drinking Water:  e.g., surface water (rivers, lakes) or groundwater (wells, aquifers).
• Contaminant Levels: A breakdown of any detected substances, such as nitrates, lead, and arsenic, with a comparison to established safety limits.
• Contaminant Sources: Information on where contaminants may come from, like agricultural runoff or plumbing corrosion.
• Health Impacts: Descriptions of potential risks if contaminants exceed safety standards.
• Violations and Corrective Actions: Any exceedances of safety levels, along with steps taken to resolve these issues.
• Compliance and Vulnerability: Details on compliance with water safety standards and the susceptibility of our water sources to contamination.

This information helps ensure that the drinking water provided on campus is safe and that MU is compliant with all applicable state and federal water quality regulations.

Why MU Researchers Should Care About the CCR

For researchers at MU, the quality of water used in experiments is more than a regulatory concern—it is integral to the reliability and accuracy of research results. The following points highlight why the CCR is a critical resource for researchers:

1. Ensuring Experiment Accuracy:
   Even trace contaminants—such as lead, copper, or disinfection byproducts—can interfere with sensitive scientific instruments or impact the accuracy of experiments. The CCR provides specific data about these contaminants, allowing researchers to understand potential challenges in their work and make adjustments as needed.
2. Supporting Water Purification Needs:
   For certain experiments, researchers may need to purify water further (e.g., using deionization or reverse osmosis) to meet the exacting standards of their protocols. By reviewing the CCR, researchers can determine whether additional purification steps are required to meet these needs.
3. Protecting Research Quality:
   In fields like biomedical research, environmental science, and chemistry, the purity of water used in experiments can directly influence cell viability, data integrity, and chemical reactions. Understanding the baseline quality of campus water is essential for ensuring that research protocols yield reliable results.
4. Compliance and Grant Support:
   Many research projects, especially those involving animal models or tissue cultures, require compliance with regulatory standards for water quality. The CCR provides crucial documentation to support this compliance, which is often needed when applying for grant funding or when demonstrating laboratory conditions during inspections or audits.
5. Advancing Public Health and Environmental Research:
   The CCR is also an invaluable tool for researchers in public health, environmental studies, and sustainability. It offers insights into the effectiveness of the university's water treatment processes and provides real-world data for research on water safety, infrastructure, and environmental policy.

How to Access MU’s Consumer Confidence Report

The most recent Consumer Confidence Report is available online through Campus Facilities and Environmental Health & Safety (EHS). Printed copies can be requested by contacting EHS at:

• Email: environmental@missouri.edu
• Phone: (573) 882-7018

Understanding the contents of the CCR ensures that your research is based on the most accurate, high-quality water possible. Whether you're working with delicate tissue cultures or running complex chemical assays, the Consumer Confidence Report is an essential tool for safeguarding the quality and reproducibility of your work. Stay informed, stay compliant, and keep your research on track with this important resource.

The University of Missouri Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) is updating hazardous waste labeling requirements to comply with recent EPA and MODNR regulation changes. Starting February 28, all hazardous waste containers must display the new neon green Hazardous Waste Labels. Labels must clearly indicate hazards and utilize the word Hazardous Waste.  Please retain the original accumulation start date when replacing older yellow labels. EHS staff will distribute new labels during lab visits, or they can be requested through the EHSA supply request form. For more details, visit our chemical labeling page.

Updated February 17, 2025