Promoting Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security in Developing Countries
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
Washington, D.C.
www.nap.edu
THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was funded under grant number S-LMAQM-08-CA-140 from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect 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 ACADEMIES
Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine
The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
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The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council.
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 Officer
Tina M. Masciangioli, Responsible Staff Officer
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 Officer
Tina M. Masciangioli, Senior Program Officer
Ericka M. McGowan, Program Officer
Sheena Siddiqui, Research Assistant
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 confidential 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 comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or
recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of the report was overseen by R. Stephen Berry, University 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 final 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 Laboratories, seeks to develop and facilitate cooperative international activities that promote best practices in chemical security and safe management of toxic chemicals, including
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partnering with host governments, chemical professionals, and industry to assess and fill gaps in chemical security abroad;
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providing technical expertise and training to improve best practices in security and safety among chemical professionals and industry;
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increasing transparency and accountability for dangerous chemical materials, expertise, and technologies; and
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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 specifically, 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. |
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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.
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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 described 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 Organization 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 Promoting Safe and Secure Chemical Management in Developing Countries was convened to carry out the task. The 14 expert committee members represent the fields of chemical safety, chemical security, chemical management, environmental health and safety, international chemical exchanges and scientific 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 firsthand experience with the conduct of chemical research in developing countries. The committee held four meetings, three of which included data-gathering sessions.2
The committee would especially like to acknowledge the two international 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 international 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. |
Supawan Tantayanon, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
Engida Temechegn, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Khalid Temsamani, University Abdelmalek Essaadi, Tétouan, Morocco
In addition, we thank Mohammad El-Khateeb of Jordan University of Science and Technology, who joined one meeting via video conference; and Alastair Hay of the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, and Richard W. Niemeier of the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio, who had shorter journeys but provided no less valuable insights to the committee.
The committee hopes this report will serve the needs of the Department of State and the CSP and the chemical safety and security needs of the larger international chemistry community.
The Committee on Promoting Safe and Secure Chemical Management in Developing Countries
Abbreviations
ACC American Chemistry Council
ACS American Chemical Society
AIHA American Industrial Hygiene Association
ASSE American Society of Safety Engineers
BCSP Board of Certified Safety Professionals
CCS ACS Committee on Chemical Safety
CHAS ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety
CHO Certified Chemical Hygiene Officer
CIH Certified Industrial Hygienist
COC Chemical of Concern
CSHEMA Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association
CSJ Chemical Society of Japan
CSO Chemical Safety Officer
CSP Chemical Security Engagement Program
CWC Chemical Weapons Convention
FACS Federation of Asian Chemical Societies
FASC Federation of African Societies of Chemistry
IAC ACS Committee on International Activities
ICCA International Council of Chemical Associations
IPCS International Program on Chemical Safety
IUPAC International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
IYC 2011 International Year of Chemistry 2011
MSDS Materials Safety Data Sheet
NAO National adhering organizations
NCGC National Core Group in Chemistry
NIOSH National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
OPCW Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
PacifiChem International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies
PPE Personal protective equipment
RCSC Responsible Care® Security Code
REACH Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemical Substances
SAICM Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management
SME Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
SOP Safe Operating Procedure
SVA Security Vulnerability Assessment
UNESCO U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization