Question:
I have been contacted by a local museum that has an old fire extinguisher, supposedly containing a chemical called Pyrene. Apparently, they want to dischare the contents before displaying it. I have been unable to find "Pyrene" in any of our HAZMAT references. Is there another name for this chemical? Can anyone offer any guidance in the disposal of this chemical?

Answer: I believe Pyrene may be a product name, and not the name of the chemical inside. If I'm not mistaken, I have seen these old extinguishers before. Some look like a an old pump sprayer, or some come in glass containers, usually in the shape of a tear drop. The chemical inside is carbon-tetrachloride, which can cause severe CNS damage. Reading from my WHMIS handbook, it says it can also cause severe liver and kidney damage. Either way, its bad S#!%. The vapors from this stuff are very dangerous as well. Needless to say, don't throw it at fire. Hopefully this is some help. PS. Our department took one of the glass tear drop shaped extinguishers and drilled a small hole in it. We very carefully disposed of the liquid, then used the old container as a display model in our hall.