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  Home > JCE Print > Journal of Chemical Education > Issues > 2008  > August  >
Chemical Education Today
Association Report: ACS Education Division
The EPA Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) and How You Can Help
Russell W. Phifer and Marta Gmurczyk
ACS Committee on Chemical Safety, American Chemical Society, Washington, DC 20036
Cover
August 2008
Vol. 85 No. 8
p. 1026
Abstract
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has historically not recognized chemical disposal in secondary schools as a priority. Considering that laboratory waste as a whole represents less than 0.1% of all hazardous waste, and secondary schools generate less than 1% of that volume, this makes perfect sense from a regulatory perspective. However, it is becoming increasingly obvious that many secondary schools and their local school districts struggle with chemical management. Chemical disposal is not a financial priority, and as a result unused and unneeded chemicals are frequently kept at schools. Often, that storage place is not well planned, chemicals are not secured, and accidents may occur. In addition, the expertise needed to effectively manage chemicals may not be available within the school system. The scope of this problem is extensive—EPA estimates there are at least 33,000 middle and high schools across the country with unnecessary or mismanaged chemicals, potentially affecting 21 million students nationwide. While there are certainly schools that manage chemicals properly, many schools have aging infrastructures, competing priorities, and a lack of resources available to direct towards chemical management.
More Information
*
Citation
Phifer, Russell W.; Gmurczyk, Marta. J. Chem. Educ. 2008, 85, 1026.
*
Keywords
General Public; Green Chemistry; High School / Introductory Chemistry; Safety / Hazards
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History
Created:
Last Updated:
6/23/2008
7/2/2008
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