New England Laboratories Project XL - Awareness Survey

1. Which federal agency regulates the disposal of chemical wastes:

1. Occupational Safety and Health Administration
2. Environmental Protection Agency
3. Department of Transportation
4. National Institutes of Health

2. Ultimately, most chemical waste generated in laboratories are:

a. incinerated
b. sent to a landfill
c. release to a sewer
d. treated

3. What are the main reasons researchers should keep containers of laboratory waste securely closed except when adding chemicals?

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4. Which costs more, purchase or disposal of laboratory chemicals?

a. disposal costs more
b. purchase costs more
c. costs are roughly the same

5. According to the book, "Prudent Practices in the Laboratory" from the National Research Council, what is the preferred waste management hierarchy for pollution prevention? Use a scale of 1-4 with 1 being the preferred management method.

___ Recycling/Reuse/Recovery
___ Land Disposal
___ Source Reduction
___ Treatment

6. What is the proper way to dispose of strong mineral acids?

a. Dilution with water
b. Neutralization with lime
c. Collection for pick-up by hazardous waste personnel
d. Mixing with organic chemicals
e. Other (Specify): __________________________________________________

7. What is the maximum amount of acutely hazardous laboratory waste that your laboratory is allowed to accumulate ? ____ quart(s)

8. What emergency response equipment is available in your laboratory to respond to a hazardous chemical spill?

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9. How is waste water from your laboratory buildings treated?

a. Purification before release to the sewer
b. pH is controlled by acid neutralization, then released to the sewer
c. Diluted with the rest of the building's water, then goes to the sewer for municipal treatment by aerobic digestion
d. Other (Specify): __________________________________________________

10. In general, how are fume hood emissions controlled in your laboratory?

a. Filtration to remove particles
b. Carbon filtration to remove gases
c. Dilution with laboratory room air
d. There are no fume hoods in my laboratory

11. The last time you needed health and safety information about a particular chemical, what resource(s) did you use?

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12. Typically, what is the largest environmental impact of laboratory work?

1. release of toxic chemicals through the fume hood
2. disposal of toxic chemicals with a hazardous waste disposal company
3. release of chemicals to the sewer system
4. energy use to cool or heat laboratory space

13. The last time you disposed of laboratory hazardous waste, what pieces of information did you put on the label?

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14. What document(s) describes how to dispose of laboratory hazardous waste at your institution?

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15. What is your current role in your laboratory?

[ ] Faculty
[ ] Staff - Administrator
[ ] Staff - Lab Tech
[ ] Graduate Student
[ ] Undergraduate Student

16. How many years have you been working in college or university laboratories?

___ less than 1 year
___ 1-2 years
___ 3-5 years
___ more than 5 years