HANDLING HAZARDOUS LABORATORY WASTE

Preview This section describes the management of hazardous chemical waste from the laboratory. 

The most important environmental issue is one that is rarely mentioned, and that is the lack of a conservation ethic in our culture. 

A chemical company began making pesticides in 1980. From that time until 2007 employees poured the waste water from the pesticide production down the floor drain. This untreated hazardous waste went directly into the city sewer system. In 2007 an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspection identified this illegal practice. The supervisor of the operation was sent to prison for 6 months, followed by 6 months home confinement, and a fine of 100,000. The vice president of the company is facing a similar fate. 

What lessons can be learned from these incidents  

Section 8.1.1 presents an introduction to the issue of handling academic lab wastes in undergraduate, course-related laboratories. Mostly, the instructions in academic labs are to dispose of the waste in the appropriate container , which necessitates that someone else will appropriately process the waste. Section 8.1.1 also discussed many reasons to be mindful of chemical wastes so as to be environmentally responsible, cost-conscious, and safe. 

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Handling Hazardous Laboratory Waste Describes the management of hazardous wastes from the laboratory... 

The ability of any laboratory to operate in a manner that minimizes risks to personnel and the environment is dependent on laboratory workers who understand and carry out prudent practices for handling, storage, and disposal of chemicals. Training of laboratory personnel in safety and waste management is essential and must be followed up with an appropriate inspection system to ensure that safe practices are fohowed. Safety training must include discussion of chemical hazards, equipment hazards, laboratory safety and environmental systems, and the potential impact of laboratory work on these systems. 

Nevertheless, most disposal companies are moving toward incineration disposal, particularly for the kinds of hazardous waste generated by laboratories. Their typical variety of different wastes, usually in small quantities, makes incineration a favorable option. Laboratory waste can often be incinerated in its shipping Lab Packs without any further handling. Commingled flammable solvents are commonly blended with the incinerator fuel and thus destroyed as they provide energy for the burning process. 

Well, it just doesn t disappear. Somebody has to do something with it. And this can cost your institution a whole lot of money. It is important that you understand what happens to waste when it leaves your laboratory, and that you take steps to minimize your waste and correctly identify what is in your waste. You should know that what happens to it depends a lot on you Another reason you should know something about this is that if you go to work as a chemist you will have to handle hazardous waste properly to avoid putting that company at financial risk. We will explain why below. 

When you begin to move into more advanced chemistry courses, the structure of laboratory sessions often changes, becoming less prescriptive and more personalized as to your particular assigned laboratory experiment. It is not unusual that there are several different experiments going on simultaneously. It is at this point that your responsibilities for handling hazardous waste change. You need to understand what is required and why. 

Laboratory waste water can be handled in various ways. Special acid waste systems that utilize neutralizing tanks and are separate from the sanitary waste system are found in many modem research buildings. For work with very hazardous agents waste water should be heat-treated before it enters the ordinary waste system. 

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