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 Chemical Waste
Various offices interact in the management of NIH's chemical waste program. The Division of Occupational Health and Safety (DOHS) identifies potentially hazardous situations in work areas and recommends appropriate control measures. DOHS also reviews safety protocols for work involving certain hazardous chemicals to ensure that the proposed activities are conducted by trained personnel using the proper safety equipment. The Division of Environmental Protection (DEP) provides services related to the treatment and disposal of chemical waste. The NIH Occupational Medical Service offers a comprehensive occupational medical care program to NIH employees, including providing emergency medical treatment in the event of an acute chemical exposure and providing periodic medical surveillance. If you would like more information about this program, please contact Charlyn Lee
Tracking Our Chemical Waste Management Progress Related Links |
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Chemical
waste includes nonradioactive chemical solids, liquids, or other waste
types contaminated with hazardous chemicals. The chemical waste management
program at the NIH Bethesda Campus emphasizes reduction of chemical waste
generation through process improvements wherever possible, and proper
management of chemical waste streams that are generated. NIH has undergone
several successful chemical waste reduction efforts. Examples include
voluntary retrofilling or replacement of all high voltage transformers
containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and an ongoing program to
minimize generation of radioactive and mixed wastes (radioactive chemical
wastes) from research laboratories. As a result, generation of mixed wastes
by NIH has been reduced by over 99% relative to the mid 1990s. More recently,
the "Mad as a Hatter Campaign" targeted improvement awareness
of mercury hazards and eliminated unnecessary uses of mercury at all NIH
facilities. In response to the mandate of Executive Order 13148 and NIH's
waste reduction philosophy, initiatives are planned to identify and target
additional chemical waste streams for further reduction efforts.
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 National Institutes of Health (NIH) 9000 Rockville Pike Bethesda, Maryland 20892 |
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