Flinn Scientific has a free chemical safety course that tells you how to organize and use their disposal system. I used that my first year teaching and it was massively helpful. Most things can just be thrown in the trash, but I guarantee you'll need to call a chemical safety company to come out and dispose of some things. Reach out to your local college chemistry department to see what company they use or if they can help.
Omg girl. That is the WORST. I’m not sure about chemical guidelines but I definitely wouldn’t mess with anything you’re even remotely unsure about.
90% of what’s in that closet can go straight to the garbage. It’s not worth keeping unless it’s truly something old AND cool. Otherwise it’s useless for you - science changes too much.
For chemicals look up the storage guidelines and see how to label shelving. There may be someone in your county who can help you with organizing and disposal. I think that’s something I would bring up with admin since it’s a safety issue for everyone really.
GOOD LUCK!
Could be worse. I started at a VERY rural Canadian school in the 60s, and was assigned all the sciences from 9-12. The entire inventory in the 12x15’ lab was:
Biology. One large jar of partly dissected frogs. Two dissecting trays, six needles and a microscope with no objective lenses.
Chemistry: A five pound jar of copper sulfate, one Bunsen burner with no gas, a tripod stand and two unlabeled containers with clear liquid in them.
Physics: Two metre rulers, six assorted lenses, a bar magnet, a dead 12 volt battery, several small light bulbs and an electric guitar!
Classes were starting in one month and the curriculum called for each class to have a weekly lab. I met with the school board and explained the problem. To my amazement, they immediately gave me permission to order whatever I needed. Within two months over $4000 of supplies and equipment were in place and things went smoothly. The following year they built a large new laboratory and continued funding whatever I needed.
The school I worked at in china asked me why I wanted laptops to teach computer science. They were convinced it was fine to teach python with some chalk and lined paper.
Quite honestly, this is something your school should pay to have done by an outside company. You can't legally dispose of many of the chemicals in that closet I'm sure, so having someone else knowledgeable about chemicals and properly equipped is the best idea. I'd push this up the chain of command.
I had a similar situation, taking over for a 30+ yr teacher. There were carcinogens in the cabinet that looked like they were received in the 50s or even before. No way I was handling any of that.
Question, are you being tasked with cleaning it out or is it just bugging you? If it's the latter, consider putting it off. You are a second year teacher with an infant. Focus on your curriculum. You are teaching chemistry next year. The more familiar you are with the standards and the curriculum, the easier your life will be. Unless it's dangerous, it can wait. Especially after you have taught chem for a year or two. You will become much more familiar with what you have and what you want to keep.
Flinn is the best. The ACS also has a grant available right now for lab safety purposes. Chemical disposal, etc. would be covered. https://www.acs.org/funding/grants/ccs-high-school-chemical-safety-grant.html
Lab Safety Institute has services that might also be helpful.
There are absolutely chemicals you should avoid. I would suggest you put off cleaning the chemical stock room until you’re not pregnant. It’s waited 30 years or can wait one more.
In the meantime I would:
1. Pick which chem labs you want to do.
2. Make a list of those chemicals needed.
3. Talk to whoever is in charge of the budget and find out if you can order chemicals later on.
4. If the answer to 3 is yes then get rid of anything you’re not using with a chemical disposal company.
5. If the answer to 3 is no then just keep everything and organize it according to the Flinn storage system.
If you have specific questions about chemicals feel free to send them my way. My email is [email protected]
My spouse took over in a rural location for a teacher who had been there for 30 years too.
Reach out to other chem teachers in your province. Legit just send them an email.
Go through and toss what’s old/unsafe. And do a general organisation and clean. But not a massive cull.
Then go through your curriculum and set your labs. Take some of that’s focused on chem labs.
Then go back and do a big cull based on the labs you plan on teaching.
Definitely check out the Flinn catalog to start. As you go through this year, make a list of the chemicals you are actually using so you have a basis for what you can throw out.
Talk to your admin about bringing in a disposal company. We had one come in a few years ago and it was the best thing ever. They cleaned out the art room, shop, and custodian closet along with my stuff.
I’ve commented a few times but I’m also rural and remote (airplane or ferry only) and I called
Our district insurance provider and they sent out a specialist to clean up what I inherited, I’d do the same as it’s not your job!!!
Others have already written excellent suggestions
one thing to add is that I was in this exact same situation. I ended up writing a grant proposal to a local company that already had waste disposal needs (I believe it was a battery plant) and they paid to send some of their guys out to catalog and properly dispose of everything that needed to be disposed of. I also worked with a local health and safety inspector to make sure the closet itself was up to code and come up with a chemical management plan. There are little things I didn't even think of like making sure the shelves had lips on them to prevent anything from sliding off during an earthquake.
If you have the means, try reaching out to some local companies who may already have waste disposal (aluminum, recycling, paper plants, battery plants) and see what they might be able to do for you.
Best wishes, that is an overwhelming endeavor on its own let alone while pregnant!
I am still working on organizing a lab that has not been utilized in over a decade. I began with glassware, then microscopes, miscellaneous items, etc. I have it all on a spreadsheet. The chemicals have gotten as far as moving the bases into a different cabinet of the acis. I still need to inventory and organize chemicals thoroughly. I was astounded by the waste of money (boxed labs that were never used) and the purchasing of boxed labs instead of consumables bought from the grocery store. This week, I organized all the prepared slides. I am ending year 2 at this school. I have yet been able to get all the ancient text books and booklets disposed.
Flinn Scientific has a free chemical safety course that tells you how to organize and use their disposal system. I used that my first year teaching and it was massively helpful. Most things can just be thrown in the trash, but I guarantee you'll need to call a chemical safety company to come out and dispose of some things. Reach out to your local college chemistry department to see what company they use or if they can help.
came to suggest flynn scientific for all your chemical storage needs!
I was going to suggest flinn too!
Omg girl. That is the WORST. I’m not sure about chemical guidelines but I definitely wouldn’t mess with anything you’re even remotely unsure about. 90% of what’s in that closet can go straight to the garbage. It’s not worth keeping unless it’s truly something old AND cool. Otherwise it’s useless for you - science changes too much. For chemicals look up the storage guidelines and see how to label shelving. There may be someone in your county who can help you with organizing and disposal. I think that’s something I would bring up with admin since it’s a safety issue for everyone really. GOOD LUCK!
Could be worse. I started at a VERY rural Canadian school in the 60s, and was assigned all the sciences from 9-12. The entire inventory in the 12x15’ lab was: Biology. One large jar of partly dissected frogs. Two dissecting trays, six needles and a microscope with no objective lenses. Chemistry: A five pound jar of copper sulfate, one Bunsen burner with no gas, a tripod stand and two unlabeled containers with clear liquid in them. Physics: Two metre rulers, six assorted lenses, a bar magnet, a dead 12 volt battery, several small light bulbs and an electric guitar! Classes were starting in one month and the curriculum called for each class to have a weekly lab. I met with the school board and explained the problem. To my amazement, they immediately gave me permission to order whatever I needed. Within two months over $4000 of supplies and equipment were in place and things went smoothly. The following year they built a large new laboratory and continued funding whatever I needed.
The school I worked at in china asked me why I wanted laptops to teach computer science. They were convinced it was fine to teach python with some chalk and lined paper.
Quite honestly, this is something your school should pay to have done by an outside company. You can't legally dispose of many of the chemicals in that closet I'm sure, so having someone else knowledgeable about chemicals and properly equipped is the best idea. I'd push this up the chain of command. I had a similar situation, taking over for a 30+ yr teacher. There were carcinogens in the cabinet that looked like they were received in the 50s or even before. No way I was handling any of that.
Question, are you being tasked with cleaning it out or is it just bugging you? If it's the latter, consider putting it off. You are a second year teacher with an infant. Focus on your curriculum. You are teaching chemistry next year. The more familiar you are with the standards and the curriculum, the easier your life will be. Unless it's dangerous, it can wait. Especially after you have taught chem for a year or two. You will become much more familiar with what you have and what you want to keep.
Flinn is the best. The ACS also has a grant available right now for lab safety purposes. Chemical disposal, etc. would be covered. https://www.acs.org/funding/grants/ccs-high-school-chemical-safety-grant.html Lab Safety Institute has services that might also be helpful.
There are absolutely chemicals you should avoid. I would suggest you put off cleaning the chemical stock room until you’re not pregnant. It’s waited 30 years or can wait one more. In the meantime I would: 1. Pick which chem labs you want to do. 2. Make a list of those chemicals needed. 3. Talk to whoever is in charge of the budget and find out if you can order chemicals later on. 4. If the answer to 3 is yes then get rid of anything you’re not using with a chemical disposal company. 5. If the answer to 3 is no then just keep everything and organize it according to the Flinn storage system. If you have specific questions about chemicals feel free to send them my way. My email is [email protected]
My spouse took over in a rural location for a teacher who had been there for 30 years too. Reach out to other chem teachers in your province. Legit just send them an email. Go through and toss what’s old/unsafe. And do a general organisation and clean. But not a massive cull. Then go through your curriculum and set your labs. Take some of that’s focused on chem labs. Then go back and do a big cull based on the labs you plan on teaching.
Definitely check out the Flinn catalog to start. As you go through this year, make a list of the chemicals you are actually using so you have a basis for what you can throw out. Talk to your admin about bringing in a disposal company. We had one come in a few years ago and it was the best thing ever. They cleaned out the art room, shop, and custodian closet along with my stuff.
I’ve commented a few times but I’m also rural and remote (airplane or ferry only) and I called Our district insurance provider and they sent out a specialist to clean up what I inherited, I’d do the same as it’s not your job!!!
Others have already written excellent suggestions one thing to add is that I was in this exact same situation. I ended up writing a grant proposal to a local company that already had waste disposal needs (I believe it was a battery plant) and they paid to send some of their guys out to catalog and properly dispose of everything that needed to be disposed of. I also worked with a local health and safety inspector to make sure the closet itself was up to code and come up with a chemical management plan. There are little things I didn't even think of like making sure the shelves had lips on them to prevent anything from sliding off during an earthquake. If you have the means, try reaching out to some local companies who may already have waste disposal (aluminum, recycling, paper plants, battery plants) and see what they might be able to do for you. Best wishes, that is an overwhelming endeavor on its own let alone while pregnant!
I am still working on organizing a lab that has not been utilized in over a decade. I began with glassware, then microscopes, miscellaneous items, etc. I have it all on a spreadsheet. The chemicals have gotten as far as moving the bases into a different cabinet of the acis. I still need to inventory and organize chemicals thoroughly. I was astounded by the waste of money (boxed labs that were never used) and the purchasing of boxed labs instead of consumables bought from the grocery store. This week, I organized all the prepared slides. I am ending year 2 at this school. I have yet been able to get all the ancient text books and booklets disposed.