Bismuth (CAS 7440-69-9): storage and disposal

A lump of bismuth is usually kept in a small jar or a labelled box, and the main job of the container is to keep the label with the metal. A dry, labelled, well organised general store is suitable, dated on arrival. Metal lumps are heavy for their size, so keep them on a low shelf in a box that will not split under the weight and not in a thin card carton. Separate bismuth from food grade supplies. As a plain metal it needs no special separation beyond keeping jars of different metals clearly labelled.

Lumps of this metal often show a pinkish tint and a rainbow, iridescent skin where an oxide film has formed, and that is the ordinary look of the metal, not a sign of trouble. The metal is brittle and can chip, leaving sharp flakes in the bottom of a jar. Look at the container instead: a faded label, a cracked jar, a lid that has seized, a box that has split under the weight and a missing date of receipt. Anything damp, stained or mixed with other material should be recorded as contaminated rather than clean bismuth.

We arrange this by specialist collection. We do not publish a drain or general waste route for any chemical. It is normally packed in a non-regulated or low hazard laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.

Unwanted bismuth must not be melted down, washed away or put in the bin, and it must not go into a sink, a drain, a general bin or a skip. It is not normally classified as hazardous, so 16 05 09 is the usual entry, though the producer classifies the waste, and a waste transfer note applies, but it stays a chemical waste and is described as one. Specialist collection is the only route. Record the form, the approximate weight and the condition of the container, and say whether the lump is whole or in pieces.

Usually held as: lump.

Tell us the container size and how many you hold. An estimate is enough to start with, and some items cannot be priced until someone has looked at them.