All work involving the use of hazardous materials must comply with federal, state, and local regulations regarding the shipment, handling, and disposal of such materials. As with recombinant DNA^* (see above), use of such materials may require the review and approval of the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC^*) or other institutional authority. Hazardous materials include infectious, radioactive, carcinogenic, teratogenic, mutagenic, corrosive, and flammable materials. Principal investigators (PIs) who use hazardous materials and will generate chemical and/or radioactive wastes must register as a waste generator with the Occupational and Environmental Safety Office (OESO^*) to assure proper management of regulated wastes. PIs should provide a list of all chemicals used in the research to OESO^* to assure compliance with the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA^*) and to the notification requirements of the Emergency Preparedness and Community Right-to-Know Act.

Certain chemical materials have been designated as “Particularly Hazardous”. These include materials that are highly toxic, carcinogenic, or affect human reproduction. Investigators using any of these materials are required to prepare a written standard operating procedure that specifically identifies the methods of use as well as required protective measures. A list of these chemicals is available on the OESO^* website: http://www.safety.duke.edu/PHS/PHSSearch.aspx.