Risk Factors for Acid Damage of Waste Pipes in the Laboratory

Acid can corrode and damage pipes in the laboratory. This can be prevented by taking proper precautions.

Factor	Potential Problem	Protective
type of pipes	cheap metal	glass, plastic, acid resistant
type of acid	strong	weak
volume	large	small
handling prior to disposal	not neutralized	neutralized
flushing with water	not done	copious
exposure time frame	often, over years	brief and limited
plumbing	lets fluid sit for some time	prevents fluid sitting for any length of time

The risk of pipe corrosion increases with the number of potential problems.

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