Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Encouraging Toxic Use Reduction in Academic Laboratories
EPA Grant Number: SU831821Title: Encouraging Toxic Use Reduction in Academic Laboratories
Investigators: Steinfeld, Jeffrey I. , Keith, Jamie Lewis , Silbey, Susan S. , Tio, Jacqueline , Bussey, Kendra
Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: September 30, 2004 through May 30, 2005
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2004) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Challenge Area - Chemical Safety , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The purpose of this project is to balance essential research with its associated environmental burdens by promoting the use of less toxic and less polluting alternatives to commonly used toxic chemicals. MIT seeks to use the purchasing process to provide researchers with the option of selecting such alternatives, thereby reducing the use of toxic chemicals in research and operations.
The innovative improved purchasing process will be included in a comprehensive Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) Management System. This System is intended to be a model for academic research institutions and should have far-reaching positive impacts on the environment in this country, and possibly around the globe.
The project has developed data on the amounts and types of chemicals purchased by research laboratories; surveyed users to determine the uses for which these materials are employed; used Green Chemistry data bases to identify less toxic and less polluting alternatives; and has initiated a process to make this information readily available to users. A key component is to identify the barriers to implementation and means of encouraging independent researchers to adopt these strategies. The results will be incorporated into MIT’s model EHS Management System. Evaluation metrics will include ongoing monitoring of the amounts and types of hazardous waste requiring disposal.
By providing researchers with the information they need to choose less polluting options, and developing effective methods for reducing the volume of toxic chemicals used in academic laboratories, environmental burdens and disposal costs will be reduced and the safety of laboratory personnel will be enhanced. Furthermore, since academic institutions such as MIT train future scientists, engineers, and research administrators, experience with this system will become part of the students’ educational experience and will influence their decisions in their future professional activities. Structured educational activities, including seminars, on-line training modules, and presentations at community and international forums, are used to extend the influence of this project in academic research institutions.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
Our findings from the project to date are:
- Numerous opportunities are available in the MIT research laboratories for hazardous waste reduction and substitution of less toxic alternatives for many of the chemicals and substances currently in use. There is a potential for reducing the amount of hazardous waste generated in laboratory operations by tens of thousands of pounds per year, with a corresponding reduction in the Institute’s operating costs.
- There is a strong reservoir of interest in pollution prevention and the Green Chemistry paradigm among students, research staff, and faculty, but a principal barrier to implementation is limited availability of the necessary technical information, a lack of time. and an apparent disconnect between these objectives and the focus on research productivity or course grades.
- By contrast, the chemical industry seeks graduates who have been trained to incorporate source reduction and environmentally benign synthetic strategies into their thinking.
- The cooperation with MIT’s operational units, specifically the Environmental Programs Office, was a key aspect of the success that was achieved in this project.
Barriers to full implementation of Phase I project goals included:
- Difficulty in recruiting student team members, particularly at the graduate level. Many chemistry students are already committed to thesis or UROP research, and do not respond to offers to participate in the project. On the other hand, a significant number of students in other courses expressed interest in this initiative.
- MIT’s purchasing system is highly complex, so that implementing the envisioned user interface will take considerably more time and staff assistance than we had originally anticipated.
Conclusions:
There are significant opportunities to reduce the volume of hazardous waste generated in Chemistry laboratory operations at MIT and other institutions. Barriers to implementation include the lack of awareness of these opportunities among researchers and students, and the complexity of MIT’s internal purchasing system. Strategies to overcome these barriers will be pursued during Phase II.
Proposed Phase II objectives and strategies:
The objectives for Phase II are to continue and build upon the progress toward hazardous waste reduction in the MIT research laboratories which has begun to attract significant attention among students, faculty, and research staff. Strategies will be developed for overcoming the barriers 2 to implementation identified during Phase of the project, including an enhanced education, communication, and outreach effort. Key components of the strategy include:
- Continue and expand the internal “Sustainable Chemistry Award” program.
- Continue implementation of an alternative chemicals purchasing interface on several of the purchasing systems in use at Mn’.
- Extend the earlier survey to identify which elements of a green chemistry education and implementation program receive the most favorable response.
- Develop additional educational initiatives, including a topic module in the new undergraduate laboratory program and a seminar on Green and Sustainable Chemistry.
- Increase our efforts to inform the chemistry community about this project through appropriate conference presentations and publications.
- Continue and expand partnerships with IvilT’s Environmental Programs Office and the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 3 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
chemicals, toxic substances, pollution prevention, alternatives, waste reduction, decision making, education sector,, RFA, Scientific Discipline, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION, Sustainable Industry/Business, POLLUTION PREVENTION, cleaner production/pollution prevention, waste reduction, Environmental Chemistry, Sustainable Environment, Waste, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Analytical Chemistry, Economics and Business, Chemicals Management, academic laboratories, cleaner production, waste minimization, toxic use reduction, alternative materials, hazardous waste, source reduction, environmentally-friendly chemical synthesisRelevant Websites:
http://web.mit.edu/environment/academic/green_chemicals.html Exit
P3 Phase II:
Encouraging Toxic use Reduction in Academic LaboratoriesThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.