Vol. 28 No. 2 April 2011

 TULANE UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY & EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT NEWSLETTER  

 Hazardous Waste – Regulatory Tips

Tulane University is a very dynamic and diversified University. New processes in medicine, basic research, teaching, and facility maintenance are being introduced into the University. These wonderful things bring hope for a better future for Tulane and the world around us. However, they also bring challenges to manage these processes, their byproducts, and wastes in a responsible, regulatory-compliant, and environmentally friendly manner. Tulane, through the Office of Environmental Health and Safety, has established ways to accomplish the safe management of hazardous wastes (biological, chemical, and radioactive) and is available to help you in this endeavor. Regulatory agencies are focusing more on University operations than in past years, and we need to redouble our efforts to handle and dispose of these waste products properly. Regulatory agencies such as EPA and LADEQ check research and teaching labs, facilities operations, and contractors working on campus to make sure environmental health and safety regulations are being followed and no harm comes to the environment surrounding us all. These are some of the things they look for when they visit our campuses for inspections:

• Proper labeling of chemical waste containers (The words “Hazardous Waste” as well as the full name of the contents and any associated hazards are required.)

• Proper capping of chemical containers (Containers must be capped unless actively pouring.) • Proper containers for chemicals (Containers must be compatible with the waste contained in them.) • Proper hazardous waste disposal practices (Hazardous chemicals must not be put into the trash or down the drain.) • Up-to-date training records for those who handle hazardous materials or generate hazardous wastes (Those who

generate hazardous waste should be trained annually.) • Proper storage of hazardous wastes. (Inspectors usually check the hazardous waste storage rooms as well as

satellite accumulation areas such as random laboratories or other areas where hazardous materials are used or stored.)

• Documentation showing proper disposal was accomplished (This includes shipping manifests, university policies, etc.)

By properly managing your hazardous wastes you can avoid costly environmental clean-ups and monetary fines. Tulane University expects all of us to be responsible stewards of hazardous chemicals, biologicals, and radioactive materials/wastes. If you need any help in any of these areas or have questions, please call the Office of Environmental Health & Safety at 988-5486. (Note: A flyer on Chemical Waste Handling Procedures is available at http://tulane.edu/oehs/hazard/upload/ChemWasteProce.pdf.)

Radiation, Nuclear Plants, and Disasters in Japan

Nuclear power plants located near fault lines are fitted with huge shock absorbers which are designed to avoid significant damage from a maximum design earthquake. Japan also has seawalls to protect parts of the coast from a possible tsunami. Shutdown safety systems, backup safety systems, and backup-backup safety systems are similarly protected. However, the unprecedented size of the March 11 earthquake exceeded the maximum design level, resulting in damage to the reactors and backup safety systems. Also, the height of the tsunami greatly exceeded the height of the seawalls, resulting in the horrific images we have all seen on the news.

In North America, radiation from the Japanese reactors is not a concern, as one must be within miles of the reactor site to notice any increased reading on a radiation survey meter. Radioactive contamination is another matter. Like a smoke cloud, the fallout disperses in the atmosphere and becomes more and more diluted as it blows over ever greater distances. Rainfall also washes it out of the atmosphere as it travels. Air samplers in parts of North America have detected traces of increased radioactivity, but they are barely above the detection limit of the sampling equipment and far below any breathing air concentration limits. Nonetheless, the sooner the sites are secured and contained, the better. Contributors: James Balsamo, Pam Fatland, Jay Folse, Crystal Giles, Mitzi Hithe, Charles Reindl, Susan Welch

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Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) Chronic exposure to loud noises is one of the most common causes of hearing loss in the United States. Thirty million Americans are exposed to dangerous noise levels each day. Excessive noise can cause damage to the delicate hair cells in the inner ear. This damage results in sensorineural hearing loss and often ringing in the ears called tinnitus. Since most hearing loss occurs gradually, its effects often go unnoticed. Over time, sounds may simply become muffled or distorted. Sound is measured in decibels (dB), which is the intensity of sound. A normal conversation takes place at about 60 dB. The noise of a woodshop is at about 100 dB, and a chainsaw noise measures about 110 dB. Prolonged exposure to noise equal to or above 85 dB can lead to hearing loss and is considered hazardous. (For a chart of common noise levels, see http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/ruler.asp.) Noise can cause reversible hearing loss, called a temporary threshold shift. This typically occurs in individuals who are exposed to short, intense sounds, such as gunfire or firecrackers and then hear ringing in the ears after the event. There is a direct correlation between the duration of exposure to a loud noise and the damage to hearing. The amount of time you are exposed to a noise can affect the extent of noise induced hearing loss. The longer you are exposed to a loud noise, the more damaging it may be. This type of hearing loss is irreversible. Exposure to dangerous levels of noise can occur daily and during seemingly harmless recreational activities. Attending loud music concerts, sporting events, and clubs, as well as shooting a gun, using fire crackers, riding motorcycles, and using a lawn mower can cause exposure to noise levels that can cause hearing loss. Personal music players such as MP3 players can cause significant hearing loss if the volume is turned loud enough to mask the sound of other loud noises, such as a lawn mower. Some occupations which are particularly at risk for hearing loss due to noise exposure include: emergency response personnel (police officers and firefighters), construction and maintenance workers, military personnel, mechanics, factory workers, farmers, musicians, and entertainment industry professionals. A general rule to determine if your environment is too loud is that you must shout over the noise to be heard by someone who is within an arm’s length of distance away. Some warning signs of exposure to hazardous noise include:

• You can’t hear someone three feet away.  • You have pain in your ears after leaving a noisy area. • You hear ringing of buzzing (tinnitus) in your ears immediately after exposure to noise. • You suddenly have difficulty understanding speech after exposure to noise. • You can hear people talking but you can’t understand them.

Chronic occupational exposure to high noise levels (> 85 dB) can result in noise-induced hearing loss. If you feel you are working in an area where excessive noise is a concern, please contact OEHS so a noise survey can be conducted in your area to determine the level of noise present and the engineering controls and personal hearing protection devices necessary to alleviate exposures to excessive noise. NIHL is preventable when engineering controls, administrative controls (training), and personal protective equipment use are implemented.

Guidelines for Working Alone in a Laboratory

“Prudent Practices in the Laboratories” by the National Research Council states: Generally it is prudent to avoid working alone at the bench in a laboratory building. Individuals working in separate laboratories outside of working hours should make arrangement to check on each other periodically… Experiments known to be hazardous should not be undertaken by a worker who is alone in a laboratory. Under unusually hazardous conditions, special rules may be necessary.

It is the laboratory supervisor's responsibility to assure that all laboratory workers (& students) are trained in the specific guidelines to minimize the chance of injury, loss of research materials or property damage from this circumstance. Lab supervisors should develop a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) which describes any restrictions on working alone. Issues that should be addressed in the SOP may include:

• Specific chemicals that will not be used while working alone. • Specific procedures that will not be performed while working alone. • Response procedures for emergencies (including lab supervisor, Tulane Police, OEHS, etc.)

All lab personnel should be trained (& periodically retrained) on the SOP to minimize the chance of injury, loss of research materials and/or property damage. As always, written documentation of safety training should be maintained by the department and a copy forwarded to OEHS.

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Universal Wastes A waste is simply a discarded material or a material intended to be discarded at a later date. Those working in areas where chemicals are used, produced or stored are also aware that some materials are “hazardous wastes” because of their potential to cause fire, corrosion to the skin, or because they are toxic, or because they can leach into the environment. EPA has further defined a special class of materials called Universal Wastes. What is a Universal Waste? EPA currently recognizes batteries, pesticides, mercury-containing equipment, and fluorescent lamps as Universal Waste. Other materials may be included in the future and people may petition EPA to include additional materials.

Why does EPA treat some materials as Universal Waste? One of the goals of the EPA regulations dealing with waste is to conserve and recover natural resources. Reuse, recycling, and reclamation are all ways of handling potentially dangerous materials without losing their value to the consumer. However, this does not take precedence over the safe management of potentially dangerous materials. EPA has therefore defined special rules for managing materials during recycling that provide adequate protection of the environment and also foster recycling. EPA recognized that there are some materials that, although posing a risk to the environment, are used very broadly throughout the country by many people and can be very beneficially and safely recycled. Burdensome regulations would only discourage recycling and cause the loss of valuable materials when they are discarded without recycling. In 1995, EPA established the Universal Waste regulations to ease the management burden and to facilitate the recycling of these wastes.

What are the benefits of the Universal Waste regulations? The regulations greatly expand the time generators have to store their waste by allowing up to one year rather than the normal 90 day limit required in most cases. The regulations also greatly ease the shipping requirements for these materials by allowing the normal shipping regulations to apply rather than EPA’s stringent hazardous waste requirements where the facility must obtain an EPA I.D. number and ship on a hazardous waste manifest with a regulated carrier. By definition, a small quantity handler of Universal Waste may accumulate up to 11,000 lbs of Universal Waste and must manage the material according to simple labeling and dating rules while keeping it contained and the environment protected. Large quantity handlers of Universal Waste must do the above and also maintain shipping records, obtain an EPA I.D. number, and comply with stricter employee training requirements. EPA attempts to regulate wastes according to the degree of hazard they pose. In all cases, protection of the environment is paramount. Some materials are classified as hazardous waste and are fully regulated. Certain materials are exempt from regulation by EPA because of the way they are recycled or because they are regulated by other agencies: industrial ethyl alcohol and scrap metal are two examples. Other materials pose less of a hazard, are very commonly used and offer beneficial recycling possibilities. These are regulated as Universal Wastes and EPA encourages recycling of these materials in a manner that protects the environment and lessens the burden on the regulated community.

The management of fluorescent lamps, pesticides, and batteries will be discussed in more detail in future editions.

ECO Funnels The EPA and OSHA require that all containers be capped unless actively pouring. Not capping waste containers can result in large fines of $5,000 or more. These rules apply even when the waste container is under a fume hood, where chemicals can evaporate at a rate of up to 30-60 ml per day. The ECO Funnel is designed to address these concerns and help laboratories stay compliant with safety and environmental regulations. An ECO Funnel is a funnel which screws securely onto a variety of bottles. It has a hinged, latching lid that provides a safe and convenient way to handle liquid waste in the laboratory. Its unique design performs two functions, acting as both a sealed waste container and a solvent funnel. The safety solvent funnel reduces exposure by minimizing emissions of toxic chemicals. It is made of chemically resistant materials with a wide opening for easy pouring and prevention of dangerous spills. Another advantage is that it reduces the danger of ignited vapors. The gasket with the latching lid prevents 99.9% of emissions of volatile waste solvents, acids, and bases in the laboratory. OEHS highly recommends ECO Funnels for your laboratory waste. For more information on ECO Funnels, see http://www.calpaclab.com/catalog/ECO_Funnels-5-1.html.

OEHS welcomes your feedback. Please click the link to help us improve our services: OEHS Services Feedback.

   Vol. 28 No. 2 April 2011

Telephones – OSHA’s Ergonomic Recommendations Many office tasks today are centered on telephones and computers as key workstation components. For example, employees take information and transfer it to computers, or receive information from a computer and relay it to customers via the telephone. Telephones add to the convenience of a workstation; however, telephones have cords that can get tangled, and can cause the user to assume awkward postures. Consider the following tips to help prevent musculoskeletal disorders.

Potential Hazard - Placing the telephone too far away can cause you to repeatedly reach, resulting in strain on the shoulder, arm, and neck.

Possible Solutions - Place the telephone in the primary or secondary work zone, depending on usage patterns. This will minimize repeated reaching, reducing the possibility of injury. Also, keep the telephone cord out of working areas so it does not create a tripping hazard.

Potential Hazard - Prolonged conversations with the phone pinched between your shoulder and head may cause stress and neck pain.

Possible Solution - Use a "hands-free" headset if you plan to spend a lot of time on the phone. Speaker phone options may also be appropriate, provided the volume of this feature does not annoy your co-workers.

Please visit the OEHS website at http://tulane.edu/oehs for more information and recommendations on ergonomics. This article was extracted from OSHA’s eTools www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools. If you need more information on office/computer ergonomics contact Mitzi Hithe at 988-2866 for assistance.

New Car Seat Recommendations

The following are recommendations from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on car seat restraints for young children. Please see their website at http://www.nhtsa.gov/Safety/CPS for more information. Select a car seat based on the child’s age and size. Always refer to the car seat manufacturer’s

instructions as well as the vehicle’s owner manual on how to install a car seat properly using the seat belt or latch system. Keep the child in the back seat at least through age 12. A rear-facing car seat,

recommended for children under age 1, is the best seat for young children. It has a harness and in a crash, cradles and moves with the child to reduce the stress on a child’s neck and spinal cord. A

forward-facing car seat, required in Louisiana for children 1-3 years, has a harness that limits the child’s forward movement during a crash. A booster seat (required in Louisiana for children aged 4-5 years) positions the seat belt so that it fits properly over the stronger parts of the child’s body. Seat belts should lie across the upper thighs and be snug across the shoulder and chest to restrain the child safely in a crash. They should not rest on the stomach area or across the neck. Although for children aged 6-12 in Louisiana an adult seat belt is permitted, it is best to keep the child in a booster seat for as long as possible, as long as the child fits within the manufacturer’s height and weight requirements. Environmental Health & Safety & Emergency Management Tulane University Pam Fatland, Editor 1430 Tulane Avenue – TW16 New Orleans, LA 70112-2699 Phone (504) 988-5486 Uptown (504) 865-5307 FAX (504) 988-1693 Web site: http://tulane.edu/oehs

 Environmental Health & Safety & Emergency Management Tulane University 1430 Tulane Avenue – TW16 New Orleans, LA 70112-2699