Off topic - how do you handle the tested water?

[neoyhng]

Dear all,

Just want to know if reefer in US just dump the water sample tested for NO3, PO4....etc, in to the sewerage, as we do in HK.

I just noticed that there are actually some very nasty stuff contained in the testing agents, e.g. Cadium in most NO3 tests, strong hydrochloric acid in PO4 test, some organic dyes in Ca test. Will these things pollute the local environment if we just dump them into the sewerage?


Neo

 

[nmprisons]

i just dump them, but hadn't thought about that ... i could start disposing of them with the science lab waste from my school, i guess.

 

[drummereef]

Good question. Hopefully someone here would know about this - maybe try the Reef Chemistry Forum? I would say that for the amout of chemical being used the dilution into public water systems would make the effects nominal at best. But, what do I know... i'm no scientist!

 

[mleinart]

I feel guilty every time I dump a nitrate test down the drain. That cadmium is NASTY stuff. I wont let my girlfriend use that test (heavy metals are bad bad bad for women who want babies) and I wont use it without gloves. Check out the MSDS: http://www.hagen.com/usa/msds/FS-A-A7848.pdf - "Highly toxic! Carcinogen! Teratogen! Reproductive toxin! Mutagen! Neurotoxic!"

I posted a request for some non-cadmium based tests here a while back but didn't get any bites... The nitrate test has by far the most dangerous reagent of any of my tests (full set of Hagen tests). The majority of the others that I've looked at aren't that harmful put into sewage from what I can tell (strong acids, bases, indicators, etc).