Mercury and Chemical Management in Schools: Teachers and School Administrators Participant's Manual in Southeast Asia. EPA 747-R-08-001
Author: US Environmental Protection Agency
Date: 2008-04-00
Type: Guides - General
Subjects: Accidents,Guides,Hazardous Materials,Risk,Adolescents,Foreign Countries,School Safety,Child Health,Children,Child Development,Empowerment,At Risk Persons,Educational Environment,Public Health,Equipment,Pollution,Science Laboratories,Vocational Education,Art Education,Maintenance,Dining Facilities,School Nurses,Athletics,Poisoning,Prevention,Conservation (Environment),School Administration,Emergency Programs,Check Lists,School Policy

Designed as a &quot;Participant's Manual&quot; to be used as part of a &quot;Chemical and Mercury Management in Schools Training,&quot; this document focuses on the policies and programs needed at the school and district level for safe and sustainable chemical and mercury management practices. This document is designed primarily for school administrators (principals and other policymakers), with a focus on issues of relevance in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia. This document may also be of value for teachers, maintenance personnel, superintendents, school business officials, insurance industry risk managers, and parents. The goal is to minimize the incidence of chemical spills, exposures, and emergency scenarios in schools. Parents and others in the community who are interested in school health and safety policies also may use this booklet to determine whether their children's schools are effectively minimizing potential exposure to dangerous chemicals and products. This Participant's Manual is organized as follows: (1) Chapter 1 explains the susceptibility of children to mercury and other chemical hazards, and why school teachers and administrators should be concerned. It also provides examples from Southeast Asia and the United States (U.S.) of mercury and other chemical accidents and their impacts; (2) Chapter 2 provides an overview of the various classes of hazardous chemicals and products of concern found in schools, and where these chemicals and products of concern might commonly be found; (3) Chapter 3 presents recommendations for school administrators and teachers to take specific actions to raise awareness, promote alternatives, safely manage existing chemicals, and properly dispose of chemicals; (4) Chapter 4 discusses mercury in the environment, health effects, and actions related to mercury in schools; (5) Chapter 5 presents conclusions; and (6) The Appendices provide specific examples that can be used to establish policies and procedures that schools may use to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations in this manual. Appended are: (1) Example of a Material Safety Data Sheet for Mercury Sulfide; (2) Chemical Pictures; (3) Pollution Prevention Checklist; (4) Green Chemistry Experiments; (5) Chemicals that are More Hazardous than Educational; (6) Commercial Equivalents of Common Laboratory Chemicals; (7) Sample Monthly Chemical Management Checklist; (8) Conducting a School Chemical Inventory; (9) Guidelines for Safe Storage of Chemicals; and (10) Procedure for Safe Cleanup of a Mercury Spill in Homes and Schools. (Contains 4 tables, 1 figure and 37 footnotes.) [This document was prepared by Battelle Memorial Institute under contract EP-W-04-021.]