Promoting Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security in Developing Countries

136 Pages·2010·3.07 MB·English

by  National Research Council, Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, Division on Earth and Life Studies, Committee on Promoting Safe and Secure Chemical Management in Developing Countries

Promoting Chemical Laboratory Safety
and Security in Developing Countries
Committee on Promoting Safe and Secure Chemical Management in
Developing Countries
Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
Division on Earth and Life Studies
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Govern-
ing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the
councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineer-
ing, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for
the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropri-
ate balance.
This study was funded under grant number S-LMAQM-08-CA-140 from the United
States Department of State. The opinions, fndings and conclusions stated herein
are those of the authors and do not necessarily refect those of the United States
Department of State.
International Standard Book Number-13: 978-0-309-15041-5
International Standard Book Number-10: 0-309-15041-8
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the National Research Council.
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COMMITTEE ON PROMOTINg SAFE AND SECuRE
CHEMICAL MANAgEMENT IN DEvELOPINg COuNTRIES
Ned D. Heindel (Chair) Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA
Charles Barton, Independent Consultant, San Ramone, CA
Janet S. Baum, Independent Consultant, University City, MO
Apurba Bhattacharya, Texas A&M University, Kingsville
Charles P. Casey, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Mark C. Cesa, INEOS USA, LLC, Naperville, IL
M. Iqbal Choudhary, University of Karachi, Pakistan
Robert H. Hill, Battelle Memorial Institute, Atlanta, GA
Robin M. Izzo, Princeton University, NJ
Russell W. Phifer, WC Environmental, LLC, West Chester, PA
Mildred Z. Solomon, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
James M. Solyst, ENVIRON, Arlington, VA
usha Wright, O’Brien & Gere, Syracuse, NY
Patrick J. Y. Lim, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines
Staff
Dorothy Zolandz, Director, Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology
Kathryn Hughes, Program Offcer
Tina M. Masciangioli, Responsible Staff Offcer
Sheena Siddiqui, Research Assistant
Jessica Pullen, Administrative Coordinator, through May 2010
Lynelle vidale, Senior Program Assistant, through March 2010
Norman grossblatt, Senior Editor
BOARD ON CHEMICAL SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOgY
Ryan R. Dirkx, (Co-chair), Arkema, Inc., King of Prussia, Pennsylvania
C. Dale Poulter, (Co-chair), University of Utah, Salt Lake City
Zhenan Bao, Stanford University, California
Robert g. Bergman, University of California, Berkeley
Henry Bryndza, E. I. Du Pont De Nemours & Company, Wilmington,
Delaware
Emily Carter, Princeton University, New Jersey
Pablo g. Debenedetti, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey
Carol J. Henry, George Washington University School of Public Health
and Health Services, Washington, District of Columbia
Charles E. Kolb, Aerodyne Research, Inc, Billerica, Massachusetts
Josef Michl, University of Colorado, Boulder
Mark A. Ratner, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
Robert E. Roberts, Institute for Defense Analyses, Washington, District of
Columbia
Darlene Solomon, Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, California
Erik J. Sorensen, Princeton University, New Jersey
William C. Trogler, University of California, San Diego
Staff
Dorothy Zolandz, Director
Amanda Cline, Administrative Assistant
Kathryn Hughes, Program Offcer
Tina M. Masciangioli, Senior Program Offcer
Ericka M. Mcgowan, Program Offcer
Sheena Siddiqui, Research Assistant
i
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by persons chosen for their
diverse perspectives and technical expertise in accordance with procedures
approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee.
The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical
comments that will assist the institution in making the published report
as sound as possible and to ensure that it meets institutional standards of
objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review
comments and draft manuscript remain confdential to protect the integrity
of the deliberative process. We thank the following for their review of the
report:
Asad Abidi, University of California, Los Angeles
Mukund Chorghade, Chorghade Enterprises, Natick, Massachusetts
Peter Dorhout, Colorado State University, Fort Collins
Kenneth Fivizzani, Independent Consultant, Naperville, Illinois
Alastair Hay, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
Claude Lucchesi, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
Richard Niemeier, National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
Khalil Qureshi, Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan
Elsa Reichmanis, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta
Carolyn Ribes, Dow Benelux B.V., Terneuzen, Belgium
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive com-
ments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or
ii
iii ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF REVIEWERS
recommendations, nor did they see the fnal draft of the report before its
release. The review of the report was overseen by R. Stephen Berry, Univer-
sity of Chicago, Illinois, and Jeffrey I. Steinfeld, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge. Appointed by the National Research Council, they
were responsible for making certain that an independent examination of the
report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that
all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the fnal
content of the report rests entirely with the authors and the institution.
About This Study
There is growing concern about the possible use of toxic industrial
chemicals or other hazardous chemicals by those seeking to perpetrate
acts of terrorism. The U.S. Chemical Security Engagement Program (CSP),
funded by the U.S. Department of State and run by Sandia National Labo-
ratories, seeks to develop and facilitate cooperative international activities
that promote best practices in chemical security and safe management of
toxic chemicals, including
• partnering with host governments, chemical professionals, and
industry to assess and fll gaps in chemical security abroad;
• providing technical expertise and training to improve best practices
in security and safety among chemical professionals and industry;
• increasing transparency and accountability for dangerous chemical
materials, expertise, and technologies; and
• providing opportunities for collaboration with the international
professional chemical community.
The Department of State called on the National Academies to assist
in the CSP’s efforts to promote chemical safety and security in developing
countries.1 More specifcally, the National Research Council was asked to
perform two main tasks focused on laboratory-scale activities.
1 See Appendix A for the full statement of task.
ix
x ABOUT THIS STUDY
1. Examine the dual-use risks posed by toxic industrial chemicals and
other hazardous chemicals in developing countries, particularly in regions
where terrorism is on the rise.
2. Provide guidance and produce educational materials on a baseline
of practices in the handling and storage of hazardous chemicals required to
promote safety and security in their use in the developing world.
This report addresses these two tasks: the educational materials de-
scribed will be delivered to the sponsors separately from this report. The
educational materials will be based on material generated by this current
study (mainly Chapters 3 and 4) and derived from the forthcoming revised
edition of Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Management
of Chemical Hazards (The National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.,
2010). Those materials will be produced upon completion of the current
report, and are meant to be used by CSP and similar organizations that are
engaged in chemical laboratory safety and security outreach in developing
countries. The NRC plans to seek assistance from other organizations such
as the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the Organiza-
tion for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and the Academy of Sciences
for the Developing World (TWAS) to review, co-brand, and distribute the
materials. The materials will be distributed in print and electronic format,
and will be translated into Arabic, French, and Indonesian.
Appointed by the National Research Council, the Committee on Pro-
moting Safe and Secure Chemical Management in Developing Countries
was convened to carry out the task. The 14 expert committee members rep-
resent the felds of chemical safety, chemical security, chemical management,
environmental health and safety, international chemical exchanges and
scientifc affairs, organic and pharmaceutical chemistry, industrial hygiene
and safety, biological safety and security, toxicology, laboratory design and
safety, education and behavioral change, and basic chemical synthesis. They
have experience in industrial and academic laboratory-scale activities, and
they include researchers who have frsthand experience with the conduct of
chemical research in developing countries. The committee held four meet-
2
ings, three of which included data-gathering sessions.
The committee would especially like to acknowledge the two interna-
tional members of the committee, Iqbal Choudhary of Pakistan and Patrick
Lim of the Philippines, who traveled very long distances and crossed many
time zones to attend the committee meetings. It also thanks the three inter-
national guest speakers who made long journeys from developing countries
to one of our data-gathering meetings and provided invaluable insight to
the committee:
2
See Appendix C for committee member and guest speaker biographical information.