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<br />LABORATORIES <br /> <br />INDUSTRY OVERVIEW <br /> <br />Laboratories that use chemicals are likely to generate <br />waste. These laboratories include: <br /> <br />hazardous <br /> <br />Research and Development Laboratories, such as government <br />labs (e.g., National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug <br />Administration) and industrial labs (e.g., chemicals, <br />pharmaceuticals). <br /> <br />Commerical Testing Laboratories, including labs that analyze <br />hazardous waste samples. <br /> <br />Academic Laboratories, such as university and high school <br />labs, and labs of educational or scientific organizations. <br /> <br />Medical Laboratories, including hospital and dental labs. <br /> <br />HAZARDOUS WASTES FROM LABORATORIES <br /> <br />The variety of wastes generated by laboratories is too great to <br />specifically identify each of the possible wastes. Instead, the <br />following discussion identifies the general sources of laboratory <br />waste, describes the characteristics of hazardous waste, and provides <br />examples of specific wastes potentially generated by laboratories. <br /> <br />The following wastes are commonly generated by laboratories: <br /> <br />Spent solvents <br />processes. <br /> <br />used <br /> <br />in <br /> <br />cleaning, <br /> <br />extraction, <br /> <br />or <br /> <br />other <br /> <br />Unused reagents that are no longer needed or that do not <br />meet specifications, are contaminated, have exceeded their <br />storage life, or are otherwise unusable in the lab. <br />Reaction products, which may be of either known or unknown <br />composition, often produced by research and academic labs. <br />(To facilitate disposal, labs should try to identify or <br />characterize reaction products to the extent possible, and <br />label them with this information.) <br /> <br />Toxicity. Wastes are generally considered to be toxic if <br />they contain any of a number of listed toxic constituents. <br /> <br />Because of the great variety of wastes generated by laboratories, <br />it is advisable to consult the RCRA regulations found in the Code of <br />Federal Regulations, Title 40, Part 261 to determine whether a waste <br />is hazardous. <br /> <br />-55- <br />