Surveys of Ohio schools in 1990-1991 indicated a need for removal of hazardous
materials, especially those chemicals found in science stockrooms. The
estimated cost of removal of $ 5 to $10 million for all Ohio schools was
based on a waste removal program in the Lima area. Amended House Bill 215
sponsored by Senator H. Cooper Snyder and Representative Dan Troy
appropriated $2,943,401 in July of 1997 to get the program started. The
program was designed by Stan
Santilli and the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and the state funded
Ohio Schools Hazardous Waste Removal Program (HWRP) began in February of
1998.
Perusal of the inventories and the chemicals selected (and those not selected)
for disposal during the initial stages showed teachers needed information
about the hazards of chemicals to make good decisions. It was found that
only 1.6 % of the 945 teachers who attended the Safety Seminars had prior
instruction in the hazards of chemicals as undergraduates.
Attending a Safety Seminar was approved by the HWRP Advisory Group as a requirement
for participation in the program. The first Safety Seminars were in March
of 1998 and chemical removal began the next month. Safety Seminars were
scheduled for each Regional Professional Development Center (RPDC) region
throughout the 1998-1999 school year. There was an additional Safety
Seminar in Columbus in May for any school that had missed the seminar in
their region due to "a failure in communication."
By September 1, 1999 about 85% of Ohio schools had volunteered to
participate in the HWRP and had attended the required Safety Seminar.
Projections indicated there would be enough money in the appropriation to
serve all of the schools that agreed to participate. At this time the only
difficulty in the HWRP was in communication with school districts. Despite
the many announcements of the program a few school officials called each
week to say they had just heard about this rare example of a voluntary but
funded program.
To increase the awareness of the program meetings the county sanitarians were
informed about the HWRP and given a list of schools that had participated.
Sanitarians inspect every school in Ohio twice annually and were asked to
make sure the administration was aware of possible hazards and of the HWRP.
To further invite participation of all Ohio schools public and private
K-12, four more regional HWRP Safety Seminars were given in
September and October of 1999. The schools responding to the fall 1999
HWRP seminars raised the percentage of participating districts to 94%. The
large influx of inventories from participating schools and the high
percentage of schools with high hazard materials exhausted the funds for
removal. Employing the "Bomb Squad" to stabilize and remove explosive
chemicals costs an additional $2,000 per school, money well spent. I had
thought only a few schools would have explosive materials. Ohio had 153
schools with high hazard materials (almost one fourth of the school
districts) that required special handling.
The information we have from the 94% of participating school districts
indicates that all of Ohio’s 611 school districts have hazardous
chemicals that need to be removed. A statewide program is best equipped to
accomplish removal while complying with governmental regulations. Schools
lack the expertise needed to select a contractor, write a contract for
removal, and make judgements of the hazards of chemicals. Small isolated
schools "fall through the cracks" and statewide, safety is ignored.
Significant accomplishments of the HWRP:
- Voluntary participation of 94% of Ohio school districts in the program.
- Removal of unwanted chemicals from 866 school buildings. (This includes middle
school buildings and some elementary buildings as well as joint vocational
schools.)
- Removal of explosive chemicals such as trinitrophenol, dimethyl ether, sodium
azide, or tetrahydrofuran from 153 schools. The stabilization and removal
of these chemicals required a High Hazard Team (Bomb Squad) and prevented
a potential disaster. One explosion that maimed of killed a teacher or
student and the subsequent lawsuit would make the total $3 million cost
look small.
- The cost per school has averaged less than $3,500 which is about half of the
estimated cost. The difference is largely due to savings achieved by
employing a single contractor, scheduling the waste removal geographically
by RPDC regions, and using a single accounting method.
The cost ranged from the minimum of $500 to more than $45,000 for
the most expensive school. (The saving to schools is even greater. When a
High Hazard team is required and scheduled to visit several schools the
cost per school is much less. Several schools had bids from CleanHarbors for
removal and the cost to the HWRP for the removal of chemicals at those schools
was less than 50 % of the bid.)
- Selection and employment of a reputable hazardous waste removal contractor,
CleanHarbors. CleanHarbors meets the bonding requirements established and
has an excellent performance record. In addition the waste disposal
techniques and compliance with governmental regulations of CleanHarbors
have been vetted by the chemists and chemical engineers in Ashland
Chemical’s environmental section. CleanHarbors is employed by many other
chemical companies, universities, and governmental agencies.
- The Safety Seminars provided needed education of 945 school officials in the
responsible care of chemicals, which is now the national standard. Seminar
topics included the hazards and proper storage of chemicals, the selection
of chemicals to be removed, the need for and use of Material Safety Data
Sheets, the development of a school-wide safety program and policy, and
compliance with governmental regulations. (The Safety Seminar Handbook
developed, written, and printed for each participating school is a
national model.)
- Safety awareness in Ohio has been dramatically increased with the presentations
of seminars to the All Ohio School Safety Congress, other governmental
agencies, and concerned groups of teachers, school board members, parents,
citizens, etc.
- The American Chemical Society and The National Science Teachers Association
are supporting this program and currently exploring way of disseminating
it nationally.
Conclusions:
1. The information provided at
the safety seminars, the partnership program, and the continuing programs
will prevent the recrudescence of this problem. (Many of the unwanted
chemicals found in schools have been there a long time. A significant
fraction was acquired before World War II and the manufacturer’s lot
number was used to trace one
chemical to 1911. The hazards of many of the chemicals were unknown until
recently. The requirement for chemical manufacturers to provide
standardized information about the hazards, uses, and characteristics of
chemicals are only a decade old. (Understanding
the information on MSDS was taught in the Safety Seminars.)
2.
Many students have been saved from harm by thoughtful planning, developing
an awareness of hazards, the use of appropriate precautions, and the
removal of potentially lethal chemicals from schools.
3.
School administrators, teachers, and board members have warmly received
the HWRP. Every school that has participated reported no disruption to
school during removal due to the professionalism of the CleanHarbors
staff.
4.
There is a palpable sense of relief that accompanied the removal of
chemicals that pose a threat to the health and well being of staff and
students.
5.
The HWRP has provided a unique opportunity to teach important environmental lessons
concerning the proper disposal of hazardous materials.
Difficulties:
Communication
with the targeted school districts was not easy. The Ohio Department of
Education announced the HWRP to all Ohio schools by the Ohio School Boards
Association, the Buckeye Association of School Administrators, and by
Science Education Council of Ohio. Even though the announcement was made
in the plainest language the initial response was less than 85%.
Additional attempts to communicate by using the county sanitarians were
successful in extending the HWRP to 94% of the School districts.
The Ohio Legislature and Ohio Department of Education have been widely
recognized for the forethought and wisdom of this proactive effort to improve
safety of schools. (Articles about the Ohio HWRP have appeared in several national
publications.)
