# Presentation: 456352

## Laboratory Decommissioning:Essential Tools and Lessons Learned  2002-2007

- Jim Carscadden** **
- Division of Environmental Protection
- Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations
- National Institutes of Health
*U.S. Department of Health and Human Services*
*June 5, 2007*

## Background

- Laboratories space at biomedical research facilities are inherently safe environments where hazardous material are commonly used but with safeguards that protect human health and the environment.
- Institutional safety precautions such as training,  knowledge of risks and safe handling procedures.
- Engineering safety precautions such as ventilation and physical protections

## HOWEVER 

**	**
- Laboratory renovations and associated demolition activities often remove safety features and  can result in serious exposures to hazardous substances – workers (NIH and non-NIH), patients, laboratory animals.
- Disposal of construction debris can and has resulted in serious environmental consequences if not handled appropriately.
- Future occupants of the area being renovated may be exposed to potentially toxic levels of residual contaminants if not properly addressed during renovation.
**	**

## Regulatory Drivers leading to development of NIH Decommissioning Protocol

- OSHA Demolition Standard [29 CFR 1926.850(e)]:
**“**It shall also be determined if any type of hazardous chemicals, gases, explosives, flammable materials or similarly dangerous substances have been used in any pipes, tanks, or equipment on the property.
- “When the presence of any such substances is apparent or suspected, testing and purging shall be performed and the hazard eliminated before demolition is started.”
- Hazardous waste determination. [CFR40§262.11]
- 	“A person who generates a solid waste, as defined in 40 CFR 261.2, must determine if that waste is a hazardous waste ...”

## NIH Decommissioning Protocol

**I**	**-****	****Initial Facility Assessment**
- 	Determine potential contaminants by reviewing
- 	historical records, interviews, observations.
- II 	-	**Facility Characterization Assessment**
- 	If indicated by results of initial assessment - conduct sampling and analysis to determine if potential contaminants are present, estimate extent of contamination .
- III -	**Decontamination and Remediation**
- IV -	**Final Status Survey **required for property transfer 	or lease terminations

## Definitions

- _Decommissioning_ – those processes necessary to ensure a facility meets all applicable Environmental Health & Safety requirements (as specifically established by Agency policy or Federal, State or local law).  Decommissioning may or may not include decontamination.
- _Decontamination_  - the process to reduce risk from “known” hazardous substances to an acceptable level.

## Source of Contaminants 

- 	Wastes and therefore contaminants have been separated into two major divisions for a number of reasons
- 	_*RESEARCH RELATED*_ – hazardous chemicals or residues left behind as a direct result of research activities – mercury, silver , selenium, cadmium
- 	_*INTRINSIC*_  - building construction related such as asbestos, lead paint, PCB’s etc

## HISTORY AT NIH 

- NIH’s decommissioning protocol for laboratory renovations was first presented at the DHHS Environmental Workshop in 2002.
- Since that time it has been used for 3 major building renovations or demolitions and many laboratory renovations (ranging from a single module to a 10 module suite of laboratories)
- Thru this history of past use, we have been able to fine tune the process  and to better understand and characterize the NIH waste stream.
- The “lessons learned on all of these projects are the subject of this presentation.

## Project  Types And  Decommissioning

- _Large projects (building/floor etc)_
- Decommissioning included in the overall project  scope, schedule and budget.
- _Small projects (labs and/or lab suites)_
- Decommissioning currently funded through Division of Environmental Protection.
- _Leased Facilities_
- termination of lease requires final report.
-  Require “clean bill of health” as condition of new leases
- _Pilot Project(s)_
- decommissioning and demolition of small projects handled together as a separate package

## Essential Decommissioning Tools

- An established procedure by which all renovations/demolitions are addressed
- Standards to provide answers to “how clean is clean”.  These can be agency driven or regulatory.
- A knowledgeable contractor with proven capability;
- Proper techniques (where to look)
- Proper tools – instruments.

## MERCURY STANDARDS - AIR.

## Slide 12

## Mercury in lead expansion anchors found under vinyl asbestos tile

## Proper Tools - instruments 

- MERCURY DETECTION
- Portable AA spectrophotometer with Zeeman background correction
- High powered light (million candlepower or better)

- Lumex Model Ra-915+

## Assessement/Comparison of Field Measurement techniques for Mercury 

- Direct Vapor Concentrations – Ohio Lumex
- Field TCLP using Ohio Lumex
- Field Measurements of total mercury
- Surface total mercury using wipe samples
- X-Ray Fluorescence of Mercury

## Lessons Learned - flexibility

- Initial Facility Assessment _*should*_  be performed for all projects
- Need for additional steps depends on results of the Initial Facility Assessment
- All protocol phases may be adjusted or combined to meet needs of specific projects.
- Contamination assessment and remediation phases may be separate or concurrent with other construction activities

## Lessons Learned - contaminants

- Mercury is perhaps the most ubiquitous research related contaminant in laboratory facilities and most costly of all contaminants.
- Mercury decontamination has become the major component of total decommissioning costs.
- Adherence to simple minimization techniques significantly reduces mercury waste generation and disposal costs.
- Age of the building is not a guarantee against research related contaminants

## Lessons Learned - contaminants

- Asbestos and lead paint are the most commonly found intrinsic contaminants in older buidlings.
- Neither as costly as mercury.

## Lessons Learned

- Combining decontamination with demolition of laboratories may be more efficient than attempting to delineate and treat specific surfaces or features only to find “hidden” sources.