safer curriculum chemical management in schools karen teliha indiana dept. of environmental...
TRANSCRIPT
Safer Curriculum Chemical Management in Schools
Karen TelihaIndiana Dept. of Environmental Management
Office of Pollution Prevention & Technical Assistance
Slides and graphics used with permission from US EPA.
Think your school lab is safe?
• Are You Sure?– Unlabeled “Mystery”
Chemicals– Heavy Containers on
High Shelves– Outdated Chemicals– Incompatible Storage
(corrosives on metal/flammables on wood)
– Unlocked/Easily Accessible Storage
Why might schools have difficulty properly managing chemicals?
• Lack of training
• Lack of system
• Lack of “somebody in charge” (add-on duty)
• Inherited chemicals
• Spend it or lose it monies
• Lack of communication across Academic, Administrative, & Facilities departments
• Facilities often not built for handling chemicals (ventilation, storage problems)
• Lack of funds/planning for disposal costs
Chemical Storage• What you may be doing now…– Storing Chemicals Alphabetically
– Could result in incompatible chemicals stored next to each other
• A safer alternative…– Storing by Chemical Group – All
nitrates together, sulfates together (can be alphabetical within their groups)
Chemical Inventory
• Having a good inventory system helps to properly manage/maintain a safer lab.– By knowing what you have, you can use it more
efficiently– Helps teachers track what they use each year
versus what can be disposed of– Helps teachers organize chemicals by their
properties (flammability, reactivity, acids)
The Dirty Dozen• Barium chloride• Benzene• Carbon disulfide• Carbon tetrachloride• Cyanide compounds• Formaldehyde
• Hydrofluoric acid• Mercury &
compounds• Picric acid• Potassium metal• Sodium metal• Thermit
Mercury • Remove from your school lab:–Bulk Mercury–Mercury Containing Equipment
(thermometers)• Call Emergency Response if a Mercury Spill is
suspected: – 1-888-233-7745 outside 317 Area Code
233-7745 inside 317 Area Code
Longer Term Goals
1. Develop a chemical management system– Purchase– Storage, including labeling– Use, including labeling– Disposal– Emergency Planning – spills, explosions, accidents
2. Use safer chemicals & less too–Order min quantities, consistent with use– Try to keep only 1 year’s worth stock
–Prohibit certain chemicals, period.(hazard potential outweighs educational potential?)
3. Order “safer” alternatives, packaging, dilutions, kits–Green chemistry–Microscale approaches (e.g. spot plates
instead of test tubes)
4. Centralize inventory/purchasing
5. Regularly budget for removals(Cradle to grave)
6. Address chemical issues in context with other environmental concerns
- As science teachers, it’s important we’re not only teaching chemistry/biology, but also teaching about being safe.
Resources• School Chemistry Laboratory Safety Guide,
Consumer Product Safety Commission, www.cpsc.gov,
• Material Safety Data Sheets www.siri.org/
• Flinn Scientifcwww.flinnsci.com/
• Council of State Science Supervisors– Making the Connection – Science Safety: It’s Elementary– www.csss-science.org/safety.htm
• Rehab the Lab, Safe labs that don’t pollutewww.govlink.org/hazwaste/schoolyouth/rehab/