School Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3)
School Science Lab Waste Reduction and Disposal Project
Tennessee Department Of Environment and Conservation
Ken NafeCynthia Rohrbach
A Cooperative Project• Tennessee Department of Environment and
Conservation
• Tennessee Department of Education
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Support from Tennessee Academy of Science
• Support from Tennessee Science Teachers Association
• Support from Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents
Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
• SC3 is a project of the Office of Environmental Assistance
• SC3 is promoted through Tennessee Pollution Prevention Partnership – Green Schools Program
• SC3 is promoted through Tennessee Pollution Prevention Roundtable
TP3 Mission Statement
To be Tennessee’s statewide network of households, schools, government
agencies, organizations, businesses, and industries, working together to protect
our shared environment through pollution prevention
• TP3 Green Schools Program Objectives
– Promote operations that reduce waste and technologies that conserve natural resources – energy, water, air, & land
– Eliminate all toxins and hazardous chemicals from schools
– Bring cost savings to school systems through conservation and pollution prevention
– Involve students in projects that utilize the environment as an integrating context for learning – research has shown that it increases student achievement
– Promote pollution prevention successes state-wide to increase public environmental education
TP3 Green Schools Program Levels
• Prospect– Shows interest in pollution prevention by signing
up for the program• Pledge
– Makes simple pledges to improve the school environment
• Partner– Develops a five-project plan, completes one
project, and submits a Success Story• Performer
– Completes all five projects, Success Stories, extends Green Activities to the local community, and mentors another school in TP3
Program Activity AreasREDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
ENERGY CONSERVATION
HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS
LAND & WATER CONSERVATION
CLEAN AIR
REWARDS
Pledge - the Pledge certificate
Partner - the Partner certificate
TP3 banner
public recognition
Performer - the Performer certificate
TP3 green flag
public recognition
An Historical Perspective• March 2002• Hawkins County• One of the most
expensive school lab chemical accidents in TN history
• The lab clean out and resulting fire and cleanup cost was ~$190,000.
Do not move chemicals to other locations for safety and regulatory reasons!
A Recent Incident
• Spring 2005
• Hamilton County
• Unknown employees accidentally dispose of lab chemicals in regular trash
• The lab clean out and resulting fire and cleanup cost was ~$80,000.
A Recent Incident
• March 2005
• Cheatham County
• A substitute teacher tried to clean up a sodium hydroxide spill with old jeans
• School was evacuated and teacher treated for burns
Today’s Reality
• Schools face rising waste management costs
• Schools have regulatory responsibilities
• Schools have a legal liability
• Lab chemicals in the wrong hands could be used for terrorism and manufacture of drugs
SC3 Project Goals
• Properly dispose of outdated, unknown, & unusable chemicals from TN public and private schools
• Reduce or eliminate potential environmental and safety risks
• Encourage environmentally sound use of chemicals as a teaching tool through Green Chemistry and microchemistry
TOSS/TDEC Hazardous Materials Survey
• We had 38 surveys returned – random sample?
• 68% have no line item in their budget or other means of lab chemical disposal
• 76% have no line item in their budget or other means of electronics disposal
• 61% have no line item in their budget or other means of fluorescent lamp disposal – in many cases lamps are crushed in trash compactors, adding mercury to the environment
TOSS/TDEC Hazardous Materials Survey
• 61% have no line item in their budget or other means for disposal of property maintenance chemicals
• 32% have no Health and Safety Plan for teachers
• 82% have limited funding for disposal of hazardous materials
• 79% have limited access to technical expertise regarding hazardous materials
SC3 Project Overview
• Complements the Department of Education’s Total Science Safety System (TSSS) CD
• Inventories all lab chemicals
• Disposes of legacy lab chemicals
• Provides follow-up training for teachers to prevent similar situation in 10-20 years
SC3 Progress Report
• Pilot project cleaned out four public schools in 2003
• EPA granted Resource Conserva- tion Challenge funds through Sept 2006
• EPA granted Pollution Prevention funds for 2005
• 15 Dept. Of Education Science Standards and Safety Workshops in Summers 2003-05
• 3 TOSS superintendents workshops Summer 2004
SC3 Progress Report
• Over 100 applicants to date
• 65 additional schools cleaned out in conjunction with local HHW events
• 15 schools assisted with managing chemicals on their own
• We continue to promote SC3 through newsletter and magazine articles, conferences, and networking
Chemicals Identified
• Acute toxins such as cyanides and arsenates
Chemicals Identified
• Flammables and Combustibles
Chemicals Identified
• Toxic heavy metals such as mercury
Chemicals Identified• Known or suspected carcinogens such as
formaldehyde
Chemicals Identified
• Potential explosives… shock/friction sensitive
Chemicals Identified
• Reactive Metals
Chemicals Identified
• Pharmaceuticals such as adrenalin
Chemicals Identified• 50+ year-old chemicals
Chemicals Identified• Broken, leaking, degrading containers, stored
improperly
SC3 Summary• To date, 22,855 pounds of lab waste have been
disposed from 69 schools, including 440 lbs of mercury and mercury-containing devices
Disposal Cost
• Disposal cost is based on volume and location – coordinating with county HHW collections
• EPA/TDEC grant funding will provide 50% to 90% cost share
• School system funds (sliding scale based on county property tax and per capita income rate)
• Cost estimate can be provided after inventory is completed and sent to us
EPA’s Healthy School Environments Assessment Tool (Healthy SEAT)
• Voluntary tool for school districts
– Assists in conducting basic self- assessments of the status of environmental and other hazards in each of their schools
– Now available on EPA web site
– Contains an Access data base
– Assessment checklist
www.epa.gov/schools
Recommendations for School Systems
– OSHA Laboratory Standards
• 29 CFR 1910.1450
• Applies to school if labs use hazardous chemicals
• Requires written Chemical Hygiene Plan (1/31/01)
Recommendations for School Systems
– OSHA Laboratory Standards
• 29 CFR 1910.1450
• Employer Training
• MSDSs on hand
• Medical evaluation
• Personal Protective Equipment in labs
• Respirator use (1910.134)
Recommendations for School Systems
– Chemical storage• Continually update inventory
• Separate old chemicals from usable products
• Label and shelve everything properly
• Vent the storage room
– Calibrate fume hoods regularly
– Use micro/green chemistry when possible
– Have spill kits available
SC3 Application Requirements
• Assign a primary contact person (Science teacher or School Administrator)
• Become a TP3 Green School member
• Complete an inventory of all excess lab chemicals (Total Science Safety System)
• Implement a chemical management plan
A Look into the Future
• Emerging waste problems at all schools
– Computers
– Sharps
– Paint
– Pesticides
– Fluorescent lamps
– Art supplies
2006 Dept of Ed Trainings for Schools
• Chemical ordering – smaller amounts, coordinated with curriculum (MSDSs readily available)
• Chemical management and safe storage
• Lab Safety during experimentation– Fume hood calibration– Spill kits
• Green chemistry – uses less hazardous chemicals to teach same principles– Union University collaboration
• Microchemistry – uses small amounts of chemicals, producing less waste
Program is transferable – 2005
-TN Dept of Environment and Conservation
-Poarch Band of Creek Indians, Atmore, Alabama
-EPA
-AL Dept of Agriculture Pesticide Program
-Escambia County School System
Another possible solution
• Higher Ed/K-12 Chemistry Partnership
• Troy State University in Troy, AL
• Escambia County School System
For additional information, please contact:Environment and Conservation
• Ken Nafe– 615-253-5449 – Ken.nafe@state .tn.us
• Cynthia Rohrbach– 931-490-3929– [email protected]
Web site
http://www.state.tn.us/environment/sc3/
