Environmental issues Diversity

Collect and evaluate real-world data to address safety and environmental issues, develop statistically validated codes and standards, formulate policies and regulations, and understand reliability and large-scale deployment of hydrogen technology under diverse operating conditions. 

The aim of this first chapter is to give something of an overview of that diverse part of manufacturing industry which is called the chemical industry. In doing so, a number of topics are introduced fairly briefly, but are discussed in more detail later in the book. As well as being a lead in to the other chapters, it should give the reader an idea of what the industry does, which are the major chemical producing countries, the scale of operations, the major products, and briefly discuss environmental issues. 

The cornerstone of a sound program for prudent laboratory practices is a process designed to comprehensively review the operations and potential hazards associated with each experiment over its life cycle. This review should take place before any work is conducted. The diverse nature of research and development activities makes it advisable to have such a process in place as part of the scientific method of experimentation. In laboratories where this preliminary survey is routinely practiced, it has proved to be useful in both the maintenance of safe laboratory operations and the minimization of chemical exposure and waste generation. Because of the diversity of types of researchers and laboratory work, such processes— both formal and informal—can help individuals associated with new, modified, or unfamiliar experiments or procedures to plan and work safely, responsibly, and productively. By first evaluating the work area, materials, equipment, and procedures in depth, hidden hazards may be identified and addressed. The pre-experiment review process can also help to ensure that every experiment and laboratory operation complies with all applicable laws, regulations, and other policies. Moreover, by addressing all relevant health, safety, and environmental issues when an experiment is first conceived, further research, scale-up, or development based on it can be made safer and more effective. 

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