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High Shelves– Outdated Chemicals– Incompatible Storage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)

Alphabetical Storage – Problems with Incompatibility

Incompatible Storage Shelves

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)

Material Safety Data Sheets

• Recommend a binder• A copy in the lab• A copy in the school office

Labeling

Stockpiling/Overpurchasing

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

Unlocked Storage

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/

• EPA’s School Chemical Cleanout Campaignwww.epa.gov/sc3

• EPA’s Healthy School Web Portalwww.epa.gov/schools

• EPA’s Mercury Web Sitewww.epa.gov/mercury

• Mercury in Schools Projectwww.mercuryinschools.uwex.edu/