TIPS: Laboratories

TIPS: Pollution Prevention Guide
for Laboratories

General Laboratory Pollution Prevention

Scale down the amount of chemical used in experiments.
Replace wet tests with analytical instrumentation.
Return unused samples to the process unit for product incorporation.
Install distillation units to recycle chemicals, for example, alcohol, xylene, formaldehyde, and so forth.
When possible, use alternative materials.

Instead of....	Use...	Types of Experiments
Carbon Tetrachloride	Cyclohexane	Quantitative Test for Halide Ions
Stearic Acid	Acetamide	Phase Change Freezing Point Depression
Chromic Sulfuric Acid solutions or Alcoholic Potassium Hydroxide	Potassium Hydroxide Sonic Baths Specialty Solvents	Glassware cleaning
Mercury Thermometers	Digital Thermistor/Thermocouple	High temperature measurements (for lower temperatures a less expensive alcohol thermometer will suffice)
Hazardous Acids/Bases	Vinegar/Ammonia	Acid/Base Experiments

INVENTORY CONTROL

Centralize purchasing.
Purchase smaller amounts of the chemical. Purchasing smaller quantities may cost more in the short run, but disposal costs for unused chemicals more than offsets these costs.
Install an electronic bar-coding system to track the type and quantity of chemicals coming into and going out of the laboratory.
Track chemical purchases using the computer. Many popular database programs can be used to effectively track the location and age of chemicals. Set up a system for identifying when a chemical is about to expire, and where it is located.
Date chemical purchases and use a rotating system. First In --> First Out.
Work with the supplier to have them deliver small amounts of chemicals on short notice and arrange for them to take back unopened containers.
Transfer unused chemicals between laboratories. If one lab has an excess supply of a solvent, see if another lab can use it.
Sell low purity chemicals or find another lab that will pick them up for free.

HOSPITAL LABORATORIES

Reduce waste gases by using low-leakage anesthetic equipment and performing daily leak testing.
Investigate reuse of waste formaldehyde in pathology and autopsy laboratories.
Segregate chemotherapy (antineoplastic) wastes from other wastes.

PROMOTE POLLUTION PREVENTION TRAINING
- Remember, like safety, pollution prevention is everyone's job.

Educate laboratory staff in meetings, briefings, and one-on-one consultations.
Provide staff with specific pollution prevention options.
Establish annual goals for your organization and point to the economic benefits of achieving those goals.
Give an award for the "cleanest" laboratory, the most improved laboratory and so forth.