Can I use peroxide test strips to keep peroxide forming chemicals beyond the manufacturer’s expiration date?
A variety of laboratory chemicals can form explosive peroxides crystals upon exposure to air, light, or through age. Obviously, these chemicals must be handled with extreme care and managed carefully to avoid this hazard. Examples of such chemicals are listed at http://safety.scs.uiuc.edu/work3.htm Peroxide test strips are commercially available to test for the presence of peroxides. However, UVM policy is that laboratories must adhere to the original manufacturer’s expiration date and dispose of the chemical through the Environmental Safety hazardous waste disposal system no later than this date. While it is unlikely that these materials are safe one day and dramatically unsafe the next, to maintain a predictable and consistent margin of safety, we recommend you manage your inventory and plan your purchases of these materials according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
