Vitrification, the process of locking hazardous waste into a stable glass form, was developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. During this time, Pacific Northwest developed vitrification, a process to turn hazardous waste and glass-forming materials into glass. Vitrification locks dangerous materials into a stable glass form that will last for thousands of years. Other significant contributions toward understanding and preserving the environment were made at the Marine Sciences Laboratory. Battelle established this as part of its promise in the Hanford Laboratories proposal to build additional scientific research in the Pacific Northwest.
Researchers there study the marine ecosystem and society's impact on it.
In the health fields, researchers developed an acoustic holography technique that allows medical personnel to view internal organs without an operation, detect fetal abnormalities, and locate blood clots. Other technologies developed included a simple, effective method to measure the loss of minerals from bones and an intravaginal contraceptive device. The Moonlight Mice demonstrated to the nation the Laboratory's abilities in mechanical engineering, computer science, and advanced physics. The decade closed on one of the most publicized activities at the Laboratory, the creation of the Moonlight Mice. Built by a team of researchers in their off-hours, these three mice competed in several regional competitions as well as the national contest sponsored by IEEE Spectrum.