Chemically Contaminated Sharps

These are sharps that are contaminated with hazardous chemicals but are not radioactive.

• Deactivate any biohazardous agents.Call EH&S if you are unsure how to deactivate the biohazardous agent safely.
• Put the sharps in a sharps container, and label it with the hazardous chemical contaminants (using proper chemical names) and their physical and health hazards.
  It is not necessary to put broken thermometers in a sharps container.
• After their sharp edges are taped over, they may be placed in either a Ziploc® plastic bag or double-bagged in clear plastic bags to prevent the mercury from being released. Deface or remove any existing biohazard labels.
• Do not put the sharps container in a medical waste pick-up container. Instead, fill out a Materials Packing List (MPL) and submit it to EH&S.

Refer to the EH&S Fact Sheet, Unwanted Hazardous Chemicals, for more information.
http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/pubs/factsheets/52hazchems.html