Caffeine (CAS 58-08-2): storage and disposal

Because caffeine is familiar from tea and coffee, the main risk on a shelf is that someone treats it as a food ingredient. It is classified as harmful if swallowed, so keep it in a dry, labelled store, well away from staff room supplies and any food grade stock. A pharmacy holder keeps it with its other raw materials, with a stock record, and a school prep room should keep it out of reach of pupils. Date it on arrival, and separate it from food grade supplies even where the jar is small. The jar should never be shared with a kitchen or staff area.

Few visible signs of age show in the powder itself. Look at the container: a split label, a cracked jar, damp that has made the powder clump, and dusting around the cap. The monohydrate can change slightly with the dryness of the room, so a jar that looks different from a fresh one is not unusual and should be judged by its label and seal, not appearance. A jar with no date or no clear name is the real problem. Record what you see, and do not open a caked jar to loosen the powder.

By specialist collection only. It never goes down the drain or into general waste. It is normally packed in a non-regulated or low hazard laboratory pack with compatible chemicals.

Waste code 16 05 06* is the entry for a laboratory chemical in a lab pack, 16 05 08* applies where it counts as discarded organic chemical outside a lab pack, and a pharmacy or healthcare holder uses 18 01 06*. The jar goes by specialist collection with other solid organic chemicals and is not food waste, however familiar it looks. It must not be put in a drain, general waste or a skip, and no one should try to dissolve it first. Record the label wording, the form and the approximate quantity before asking for a collection.

Usually held as: solid.

Part-used bottles and full containers are both fine. Tell us the size and how many, and an estimate is enough for a first price.