Hazardous Materials Exempt from Your Inventory

The following substances do not have to be included in your Chemical Inventory. These chemicals may also be covered by the hazardous waste rules, and therefore, may need to be disposed of through EH&S Chemical and Hazardous Waste. An exemption from the inventory requirements does not necessarily mean an exemption from the chemical disposal rules. Always verify with EH&S.
Contact EH&S, safety@ecu.edu or 328-6166 for assistance and questions.

  • Consumer products:Every day consumer products in consumer packaging stored and used in amounts and frequencies typical to ordinary household-like activities (e.g. bleach, cleansers, dish soap hand soap, lotions) can be exempt from the inventory. Consumer products which present a hazard must be included in the chemical inventory if the quantity maintained in a single room is one case or more (e.g. non-latex paints, lubricants) and/or if a Safety Data Sheet for the product exists.
  • Amino Acids
  • DNA, RNA, primers, DNA ladders
  • Dry Ice
  • Dry milk, water, gelatin, vegetable oils, and other edible products
  • Enzymes, RNases
  • Growth media (e.g. all agar, agarose, dry powder and prepared solutions, tissue culture media)
  • Kits (and kit components) for molecular biology techniques (e.g. PCR, cDNA, and gene synthesis, RT labeling, library construction, and similar products) are exempt from chemical inventories as long as they are maintained in the original box. Once kit components are stored separately from the original box, kit components which are hazardous must be inventoried.
  • Laboratory produced solutions of pure stock materials as long as stock bottle is present in room and the produced solution is clearly labeled with name of chemical/product, hazard warning, date of preparation, and name of responsible party.
  • Laboratory supplies (gloves, kimwipes, etc.)
  • Highly refined mineral oil (e.g. white mineral oil). Untreated or mildly treated mineral oil must be included in the chemical inventory.
  • Non-hazardous proteins (does not refer to toxins of biological origin) (Contact Prospective Health)
  • Non-toxic buffer solutions (e.g. PBS) and aqueous indicators (e.g. methyl red)
  • Office supplies (markers, paper, etc.)
  • Peptides
  • pH buffers
  • Radioactive materials (contact Prospective Health)
  • Serums (e.g. bovine, chicken, cow, horse, rabbit) (contact Prospective Health)
  • Sugars (e.g. amylose, arabinose, galactose, glucose, glycogen, lactose, maltose, mannitol, ribose, sucrose)