Laboratory Environment, Health & Safety Task Force

Mission Statement

Support the Joint Board/Council Committee on Chemical Safety in the advancement of safety, health and environmental stewardship in chemical laboratories.

Objectives

Influence legislation and regulation

• Monitor federal and state law- and rule-making.
• Help legislative representatives and regulators understand laboratories’ concerns during the legislative and regulatory process.
• Establish and maintain contact with legislative representatives, regulators and trade groups to promote ideas for wise legislation and regulation.

Inform laboratory professionals to help them understand and comply with EHS regulations.

• Inform ACS members about pending federal law- and rule-making through written articles, internet postings and presentations.
• Write, or encourage regulators to write, tailored guidance documents to assist laboratory professionals in there understanding of and compliance with EHS regulations.
• Develop and present seminars, training sessions, or posters at relevant national meetings.

Inspire good laboratory EHS management practices

• Monitor laboratory practices with an eye to new activities that promote safety and environmental stewardship.
• Disseminate information about such practices to the laboratory community via publications, symposia, and the internet.

History
Bob Alaimo, J. Chem. Health Safe. 2003, 10(4), Page 50
Copyright ©  American Chemical Society, Division of Chemical Health & Safety
Reprinted with Permission

For the past 22 years the ACS Committees on Environmental Improvement and Chemical Safety have sponsored a special working group charged with the responsibility for assisting the Society in establishing policies related to chemical health and safety and environmental protection. During that time period the Taskforce has been functioning in a stealth fashion, doing the work almost anonymously. The purpose of this column is to bring the work of the Taskforce to the attention of the readership of CH&S. The Taskforce was created in 1981 as the ACS Taskforce on RCRA, a brainchild of head of the ACS Office of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Katherine Ream. With the advent of the hazardous waste regulations the original objective of the Taskforce was threefold: (1) make regulators and legislators aware of the special problems faced by laboratories, both academic and industrial, in dealing with hazardous waste regulations, (2) assist the ACS in developing policies on hazardous waste and other environmental problems and, (3) educate the ACS membership on laboratory waste issues.

Dr. Stanley Pine (current member of the ACS Board of Directors) served in the initial leadership role. His focus was publications and technical symposia designed to benefit ACS members. Of particular interest was the minimization of laboratory waste. Under his stewardship, the important publication on this subject ‘‘Less is Better’’ was prepared. This critically acclaimed guide is currently in its 3rd Edition. Some of the other early activities of the Taskforce included; providing information to the US Environmental Protection Agency and congressional staff on the unique regulatory compliance problems faced by laboratories. Laboratory waste management symposia sponsored by the Taskforce were held at ACS national meetings in 1983, 1985 and 1987.

The leadership of the Taskforce was turned over to Russell Phifer in 1987. Russ continued the Taskforce’s focus on laboratory waste and the group was renamed the Taskforce on Laboratory Waste Management (LabWam). Efforts continued to educate ACS members, federal regulators and legislators to the problems of laboratory waste generators. Working in concert with the ACS Government Relations & Science Policy office (now the Office of Legislative and Government Affairs), Taskforce efforts included writing proposed legislation and meetings with Congressional staff. A June 1993 ACS satellite videoconference on laboratory waste management was presentedto56sites around the U.S. by the Taskforce.

In 1994 the Taskforce published ‘‘Laboratory Waste Management, A Guidebook,’’ a 200þpagemanual to assist laboratory workers manage their chemical waste. With support from Corporate Associates and the sponsoring Committees, the Taskforce met up to three times per year during this interim. In 1994, Peter Reinhardt assumed the role as Chairman of the Taskforce, ushering in a new period of focus and concentration on academic laboratory issues. Activities of the Taskforce included revisions of existing publication, several new publications and a Laboratory Spills Manual. In 1996 the Taskforce presented symposium at the New Orleans ACS meeting covering the first 20 years of RCRA. Peter also worked to foster working relationships with other groups interested in regulatory change. In 1998 the Taskforce had the opportunity to review the EPA’s draft ‘‘Environmental Compliance Guide for Small Laboratories.’’

As a working group supported by its two ‘‘parent’’ ACS Committees, the Taskforce has been responsible for establishing ACS policies and commenting on proposed regulations and legislation throughout its history. Now renamed the ‘‘Taskforce on Laboratory Environment, Health & Safety’’ to better reflect the focus of the group. The continued existence of the group is a tribute to the many members who have contributed over the past 22 years. I also include the dedicated ACS staff members who have supported the group in my praise. As one of the newer members of the Taskforce I want to recognize and thank the previous members of the Taskforce who have left the group during my tenure: Earl Peters, Joan Berkowitz, Cynthia Salisbury, Phil Hagen, Ed Rau and Bruce Beardmore the staff liaison. The current roster includes in addition to me: Bill Beranek, James Harless, Russ Phifer, Stan Pine, Peter Reinhardt, Ralph Stuart, Erik Talley and Ray Garant the ACS staff liaison. If you know any of these members, thank them for their service.

Acknowledgements
Thanks to Russ Phifer for providing much of the history and many of the words for this column.

Membership

Ms. Kathryn Benedict
Grand Valley State University
CLAS - Deans Office
312 Padnos Hall
Allendale, MI 49401
(616) 331-8628
benedika@gvsu.edu

Mr. Jeffrey S. Brown
Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly Corporate Center
Indianapolis, IN 46285
(317) 276-2570
BROWN_JEFFREY_S@Lilly.com

Dr. James Harless
Soil & Materials Engineers, Inc.
43980 Plymouth Oaks Blvd.
Plymouth, MI 48170-2584
734-454-9900
734-454-0629 fax
Harless@SME-USA.com

Mr. Todd Houts
University of Missouri - Columbia
Environmental Health and Safety
8 Research Park Development Building
Columbia, Missouri 65211
573/882-7018 (O)
573/882-7940 (F)
houtst@missouri.edu

Mr. Russell W. Phifer, CCS Liaison
WC Environmental, LLC
PO Box 1718
West Chester, PA 19380
610/696-9220 (O)
610/344-7519 (F)
rphifer@wcenvironmental.com

Mr. Peter Reinhardt
Yale University
Office of Environmental Health & Safety
135 College St., 1st Floor
New Haven, CT 06510-2411
(203) 737-2123
peter.reinhardt@yale.edu

Dr. Linda Stroud
2808 Rue Sans Famille
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-881-0282
lmstroud@sciencesafetyconsulting.com

Mr. Ralph Stuart
University of Vermont
667 Spear St
Burlington, VT 05405-0570
(802) 656-5403 (O)
rstuart@esf.uvm.edu

Mr. Erik Talley, Chair
Weill Medical College
Cornell University
1300 York Avenue, Box 354
New York, NY 10021
(212) 746-6201 (O)
(212) 746-8288 (F)
(212) 585-3511 (H)
ert2002@med.cornell.edu

Dr. Marta Gmurczyk, ACS Staff Liaison
Email: m_gmurczyk@acs.org

Consultants

Dr. Robert J. Alaimo, CEI Liaison
1009 Magnolia Ln.
Lincoln, CA 95648
916/645-9488 (H)
alaimo@starstream.net

Dr. William Beranek
Indiana Environmental Institute
150 W Market St., Suite 520
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2814
317/635-6018 (O)
317/687-5139 (F)
Inenviro@iquest.net

Dr. Stanley H Pine
California State University
Chemistry Department
5151 State University Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90032
323/343-2333 (O)
323/343-6490 (F)
spine@calstatela.edu