User Responsibilities
As a user of the ALS, it is your responsibility to:
- Understand the properties and hazards of materials that cyou bring to and work with at the ALS.
- Abide by ALS safety policy and instructions given by the Chemical Safety Specialist (CSS) or other staff, such as beamline scientists and associates, control room staff, and the experiment coordinator.
- Clearly communicate the nature of your experiments to your beamline scientist, including all chemical hazards and all supplies and equipment that you may require to perform your experiments safely.
- In some cases, you may be required to bring your own supplies or equipment.
- Accurately complete your Experiment Safety Assessment Form (ESAF) in a timely manner and update the ESAF as necessary if your plans change.
- Ensure that your work is approved and authorized before starting any experiments.
- This includes waiting for review if last-minute changes were made to the ESAF. You may not work with materials that have not been approved by the CSS and authorized by your beamline scientist. This ensures your safety, the safety of others, and the proper maintenance of the beamline and equipment.
- Obtain approval via the ESAF before sending, shipping, delivering, or bringing any samples, chemicals, or other materials to the ALS.
- Notify the control room and the CSS if you experience a chemical exposure, chemical spill, or other incident either on the beamline floor or in one of the ALS user laboratories.
Planning Your Experiment
In your experiment proposal, you must indicate whether you will be working with chemicals at the ALS. In the ESAF, identify each chemical that you will be working with and declare the hazards associated with each chemical, such as flammable, water-reactive, carcinogenic, or acutely toxic (please consult the Safety Data Sheet for the material to determine its hazards). If your declared chemicals change after the ESAF is approved, edit your ESAF accordingly and notify the CSS as soon as possible to review the changes.
Once you have submitted your ESAF, a list of controls will appear at the bottom of the Materials tab. It will look something like this:
Chemical Use at the Beamline
Chemical use at the beamlines is generally restricted to:
- Simple operations (such as loading samples into chambers, picking crystals, or attaching samples to posts or sample holders).
- Small quantities (typically less than 1 g of solid or less than 10 mL of liquid; substrates not included).
- Low-hazard materials.
- No unbound nanomaterials (defined as solid or dispersed nanomaterials that are not embedded in a solid matrix or bound to a substrate by spin coating or drop-casting).
If your experiment requires more complicated operations, larger quantities, or higher-hazard materials, you must take additional steps. Please contact your beamline scientist and the CSS in advance of your beamtime to discuss your needs.
Minimum controls implemented at the beamlines include:
- Labeling (include the full chemical contents, the primary hazard(s), and your name or ESAF number).
- Personal protective equipment (PPE) including long pants, closed toe shoes, safety glasses, and gloves.
- Containment to prevent spills and leaks.
- Cleanup of all used materials and a thorough wipe-down of the work area to ensure that there is no residual contamination.
Use of hazardous materials at the beamline may be restricted to designated areas such as a specified workbench. Your beamline scientist will show you these locations and the PPE requirements and other procedures for working there.
Chemical Use in the ALS User Chemistry Labs
Complex work or work with more hazardous/larger quantities of chemicals will need to be performed in one of the two User Chemistry Laboratories. These labs are equipped with fume hoods, basic lab supplies, and some simple laboratory equipment (for a complete list, see the ALS Chemistry Labs page).
In order to gain access to the user chemistry labs you must take the online course EHS 0348 Chemical Hygiene and Safety and receive an in-person lab orientation from the CSS. This orientation includes a discussion of the work you will be performing in the lab(s). Some additional training or documentation may be necessary depending on the hazards of the work. Contact the CSS for more information and to schedule an orientation.
Sending Samples and Chemicals
If your experiment requires some preparation of your samples involving the use of chemicals–such as spin coating or drop casting, etching, dissolving, suspending, sonicating, cleaning, etc.–you may need to bring your own chemicals to the ALS for use. This generally requires use of the ALS user chemistry labs; learn about using the labs here.
NEW POLICY CHANGE: All chemicals (excluding samples in most cases, see guidance below) must be pre-screened before they are shipped, sent, or otherwise brought to the ALS or to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in general. Approval is required before any chemical arrives at LBNL main receiving. Do not purchase chemicals for delivery to the ALS, ship/deliver chemicals to the ALS, or bring any chemicals to the ALS until they have been screened and you have received approval from the CSS. This policy applies to all of LBNL. If your chemicals are not properly screened and approved they may be rejected and returned.
The screening process is initiated through your ESAF in the “Pre/Post Expt. Plan” tab. Please include as much information as possible to ensure fast review. Part numbers are especially helpful. If you cannot yet create an ESAF because your beamtime has not been scheduled, contact the CSS for guidance.
Chemicals Requiring Screening
The following types of chemicals require screening before being brought to the ALS:
- All chemicals in the original manufacturer’s container, such as chemicals purchased from Sigma Aldrich, Alfa Aesar, Acros, Spectrum, Strem, TCI, VWR, etc.
- Chemicals synthesized in your lab or a collaborator’s lab (outside of LBNL) unless it is your sample to be measured.
- Pre-packaged kits that contain chemicals or hazardous substances, such as protein assay kits, stain kits, DNA or RNA extraction kits, etc.
- All compressed or liquefied gases, including if it is your sample.
- Adhesives, sealants, epoxy, grease, lubricants, oils, and fuels.
- Aerosol cans (of all contents).
- Paint, lacquer, varnish, etc. including silver and carbon paint.
- Buffers, media, and fixatives containing hazardous substances, such as cacodylate buffer (contains arsenic), Barbital/Veronal/Medinal buffer, Bouin’s solution (contains picric acid), formalin, osmium tetroxide, chromates or chromic acid, etc.
Sample Shipping
Samples that do not require screening (as described above) may be shipped according to the ALS Shipping & Receiving policy.
To ship chemicals requiring screening to the ALS, send them to the attention of Alyssa Brand, the CSS, to ensure they are routed properly, and include the words “No LBNL PO” to indicate to our receiving department that this order was not purchased on LBNL funds:
- Attn: Alyssa Brand for [your experiment lead] Advanced Light Source (No LBNL PO)
- B6R2233
- One Cyclotron Road
- Berkeley, CA 94720
All materials need to be shipped in accordance with all DOT/IATA (Department of Transportation and International Air Transport Association) regulations.
Please note that it may take up to three business days for approved chemicals shipped to the ALS to be sorted at the central receiving facility, delivered to the ALS receiving facility, and finally delivered to the CSS or beamline scientist.
Toxic and Corrosive Gases
Only certain beamlines are equipped to use toxic and/or corrosive gases. Please contact your beamline scientist for more information about what materials can be used at their beamline.
All toxic or corrosive gases must be installed in collaboration with the CSS. The plumbing must be leak tested in an approved manner (usually done by the beamline scientist), then inspected and approved by the CSS before work commences. Contact the CSS and your beamline scientists as soon as possible to schedule time for toxic or corrosive gas set-up.
Excess/Unused Chemicals
All excess or unused chemicals must be sent back to your home institute or disposed of at the end of your beamtime unless you have the express approval of your beamline scientist and the CSS for temporary storage at the ALS. The CSS can assist in preparing the shipment of your chemicals. All standard regulations apply for shipping of hazardous materials. Shipping can be quite expensive for higher hazard chemicals and large quantities and you are responsible for payment so please plan accordingly. If you plan to dispose of excess or unused chemicals contact the CSS to arrange a time to do so. Do not leave your excess or unused chemicals at the beamline or in the user chemistry labs.
Storage
Note: This option is only for users that have proposals in the system and are scheduled to do additional experiments at the ALS. If you do not meet these requirements, you may not store samples or chemicals at the ALS. If you want to store samples and/or chemicals at the ALS, you must contact your beamline scientist to request that they take responsibility for your materials. These samples and chemicals need to be clearly labeled with:
- the name of your beamline scientist
- the name of the actual owner and institute
- the full chemical constituents of the sample
- your proposal/ESAF number
- the date
- the primary hazard(s) of the sample
Chemical Incident Response
Before beginning work with hazardous materials, you should familiarize yourself with the LBNL Emergency Response Guide. Location-specific copies are posted on bulletin boards around the ALS floor.
If a chemical incident results in an emergency call 911 immediately, then follow up with a call to the ALS Control Room (x4969) when feasible and safe to do so. If the incident requires evacuation of any part of the building, also alert all nearby personnel of the need to evacuate, and activate one of the fire alarm pull stations on your way out of the building.
Non-Emergency Chemical Exposure Procedures:
- In case of skin contact with a hazardous chemical, immediately rinse the affected area with water for 15 minutes. Use an eye wash or safety shower as needed.
- As soon as it is feasible to do so, contact the Control Room (x4969) and inform the CSS of the incident.
- After rinsing is completed, report to LBNL Health Services in building 26.
- In case of inhalation of a hazardous material, immediately remove the victim to fresh air.
- As soon as it is feasible to do so, contact the Control Room (x4969) and inform the CSS of the incident.
- Then, report to LBNL Health Services in building 26.
- In case of ingestion of a hazardous material, immediately call Health Services (x6266) for instruction. Inducing vomiting is not always recommended for ingestion of hazardous materials.
- As soon as it is feasible to do so, contact the Control Room (x4969) and inform the CSS of the incident.
- In case of a chemical spill with no personnel exposure and no other imminent risks such as fire, immediately contact the Control Room (x4969) and your beamline scientist, then inform the CSS of the incident.
- If you need help cleaning up the spill, let the CSS or control room know and they will assist you in finding help.
- Follow the SWIMS guidelines:
- Stop: Safely stop your work.
- Warn others: Inform people in the nearby area of the spill location and hazards.
- Isolate the area: Keep others out of the spill area using barriers or caution tape as needed.
- Monitor yourself: Be alert for any signs of exposure or need for medical attention.
- Stay until help arrives: Remain in a safe location nearby until assistance is provided.