mfety in the chemical laboratory
edited by M~LCOLM M. RENFREW University of ldaho MOSCOW, ldaho 83843
Chemical Handling and Waste Disposal Issues at Liberal Arts Colleges Susan P. Gannaway North Georgia College, Dahlonega, GA 30597 A recent article in ACSNetworkNewa (921-88) by the assistant university counsel of the University of Illinois opens with the statement. "Calleees and universities face " daily challenges while interpreting and applying federal hazardous waste statutes and regularam intmded, in large part, to govern commercial generators, transporters and disposers of hazardous materials and wastes" ( 1 ) . Another communication by the Chemical Safety Program Supervisor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison discusses "What EPA Doesn't Understand About Academic Laboratories". He describes hazardous waste rules as "complex, voluminous, and difficult to understand. Unlike most environmental regulations, rules for the generation, transport, storage, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste must be understood hy teachers, researchers, building managers and chemical stockroom clerkswhomever is given the responsibility for compliance at this institution" (2). If the application of these regulations is viewed as difficult by these representatives of major universities, how are they viewed by the chemistry departments a t small liheral arts colleges where there ia often no inhouse legal staff, no safety consultant or coordinator. no stockroom manaeer. ~~~~, ~~~.and no one else on campus who understands the magnitudeof the problem? EPA regulations \198.',) regarding small-quantity generators affect most of these schools, as does the 1988-89 implementation of the hazardous communication standard/community right to know. Eiehtv orivate liberal arts colleees that " offer undergraduate hut no graduate degrees in chemistry were surveyed during the fall of 1988 to determine what they were doing about inventory management and waste disposal, and how much these actions were costing. There were 20 respondents whose schools ranged in enrollment from 500 to 3,200 with the average being 1,450. The averaee .. lahoratorv enrollment in chemietry per semester was 134, with 0-30 (median 4) students mvolved in research per academic year. These schools were located in Delaware. District of Columtis, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Departments included 2-6 ~
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faculty members in chemistry with support staffs (secretary, stockroom manager) of 'IS2. The first step in achemicalmaterials ham dling program generally involves purging a stockroom of excess chemicals, disposing of them, and preparing an up-to-date chemical inventory. Six of the schools had completed auch a purge by the fall of 1988a t an average disposal cost of $11,003 and faculty time expenditure of 2 9 weeks (largely uncompensated). Seven mare schools had not hegun the process, or not taken it heyond the
planning stage, most reporting that funds for such aprojectcamefrom the department operating budget and available funds were in the $0%2.OW . . ranee. This could he interpreted as a lack of in&tutional priority outthe aide .~-....chemiatrv deoartment. Annual waste disposal expenditures varied widely, depending on the state of excess chemical removal.
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(Continued on page A184)
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Volume 67
Number 7
July 1990
A183
J Annual Budgei lor Waste Dlsposal Slate of Excess Chemical R e w a l Canplete Partial Not Done
Amoum $0-2.000 $2-4.000 SC8.000 $58.000 $8-IO.OOO Over $10.000 Don't Know/
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Lln Anew*,
Most small colleges seem to be operating in the less than $2,MXI range if they have completed inventory reduction or if they have done nothing at all yet. The larger expenditures (more than $7,M)O) were reported by institutions that either were in the midst of a purge or had larger chemistry enrollments (25CL300 students per semester in labs and up to 30 students annually in research). Among the schools that had completed inventory reduction and reported semester enrollments and budget, the average per-student waste-disposal expenditure per semester was $16.90. The six schools reporting no purge yet (nearly one-third of sample), also report the smallest (in three cases, no) budget for waste disposal and that the departments would have to find funds in their existing budgete. The averge size of these schools is 1,220. Specific disposal problems were reported with unknown/unlabeled battles, low-level radioactive materials, explosives (including picric acid), heavy metals in organic solvents, ethers, phosgene, and mercury salts. The difficulty in getting a large number of faculty and students to follow new and more complex procedures, once established, was also cited. Several recent publications provide relevant information regarding regulations and procedures for dealing with these orohlems (3-5). Almost every school reported being "in procerb of computer in in^ inventory" using one or another data baseand in processof or having completed reorganization of storage areas. Since fewer than half of these schools employ a stockroom manager, these activities are being carried out by or under the direct suoewision of facultv. a hidden cost that is large but difficult Grnessure. other reported alterations in the laboratory program reflect common recommendations:
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Elimination of labs that used hazardous materials or produced hard-to-dispose-of wastes. In some cases, procedures previousIv done hv studenta were demonstrated bv faeulty. ~ u d i t a t i v eanalysis schemes werk sometimes replaced by computer simulations. Scaling down of labs to mini or micro quantities (although the cost process of replacing equipment is slowing this). Solvent recovery built into experimental procedures. Reduction of quantities purchased. Again, the f i s t three items involve signifi-
A184
Journal of Chernlcal Education
cant initial amounts of faculty time and equipment outlay in order to achieve longterm reductions in hazardous waste generation. Anecdotal incidents reported include an administrative request to identify in one week which items found on Pennsylvania's 3,200-item hazardous materials list (arranged by CAS number) were in the school's possession. In another instance, widespread newspaper publicity occurred when one school attemptedto dispose legally of alarge container of pierie acid by calling the bomb squad for disposal. Waste disposal and hazardous material handling is not confined to the chemistry department a t a liberal arts college. At a minimum, building and grounds, swimming pools, and biology departments handle regulated or potentially prohlematie material. Survey respondents report a surprising lack of campus communication on this issue. Only six of the 20 schools had a safety committee, and two of those that did failed to include a representative from chemistry. When asked who monitors campus widel other department waste disposal a similar communication void surfaced. The largest response (6) was "don't know"; followed by "safetylseeurity" (5);"no one", (4); physical plant, (2); chemistry, (1); no answer, (2). Despite widespread educational efforts by the American Chemical Society and other professional groups, there still appears to he a large degree of concern and a considerable nroblem related to materials handline. storaie. and disoosal a t some small instit;: lions. In general, the faculty have a sense of what they should be doing and are making progress. If they have not been successful yet, the most frequent cause is a lack of financial resources or the inability to obtain such resources from an administration that doesnot understand or chooses to ignore the nroblem or reeards it as one oeculiar to chemistry. ~ e c a u s eregulations'vary from state to state, understanding of specific responsibility also appeam somewhat vague. Bayer (6)has discussed reasons why aeademic administrators have not to date felt the same safety-related pressures as industrial, private, and federal laboratories. He cites lack of OSHA nressure. modest insurancepressure, no productivity loss from student absenteeism, and the fact that students are not covered by Worker's Compensation, with t h e resultant absence of economic pressure. He suggesta that the initial motivation ta introduce and maintain safety programs will have to come from committed faculty who enlist administration support. To gain this administrativesupport, it appears that educational efforts now need to be directed to university administrations. NACUBO has made several efforts in this area, especially the publication of "Hazardous Waste Management at Educational Institutions," a publication for university financial officers. Future information about their activities mieht be useful to oeraonnel in chemistry as They attempt to educate their own community (7).
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Acknowledgmenl This report is based on a survey of the membership of the Mid Atlantic Association of Liberal Arts Chemistry Teachers Association, fall 1988.
Literature Cibd
4. Armour, M.A.; Brown., L.M.; weir, G.L. Norordous Ch~micoilnlormofion andDisoosoi Guide. 2nd ed.:
Univemity of Alberta ~ d m ~ ~ 1984. t & , 5. Armour. M. A,: Bmwm, L. M., Weir, G. L. J Chem. Edue. 1985.62. A93.
SuMn G e ~ a w a yreceived her BA d e grw in chemistly hom Ohio Weslayan University in 1983, her MEd dagree hom lhe University ot Georgia in 1967, and her EdD degrw in Science Education from Auburn University in 1980. From 1980 to 1988 she chaired the Chemistry Department at Eastern College in St. Davids. PA, and was the 1988 president of the Mid-Atlantic Assaclation of Liberal Arts Chemistry Teachers. She is presently the Direnor of the Center for Energy. Environmental and Science Education at North Georgia College.
