Reducing the Environmental Impact of Clinical Laboratories
Continuing Education Credits
This course provides information about the environmental impact of clinical laboratories and how to decrease the lab's environmental footprint. Anyone concerned about the environment and climate change probably realizes that the clinical lab is a big consumer of resources and a producer of large amounts of waste. This course provides information on how to evaluate the environmental impact of your lab and how to make an environmental management plan. Applying the concepts of "reduce, reuse, and recycle" will suggest different ways to reduce your lab's resource consumption and waste production.
Objectives
- Describe the current environmental footprint of clinical laboratories and why establishing an environmental policy is important.
- Identify the major areas (energy usage) where improvement is needed.
- Assess which instruments, supplies, and reagents might have a lower environmental impact.
- Identify environmentally friendly ways that waste can be managed, including materials that can be reused or recycled.
- Describe organizations that can assist in making an environmental plan or management system.
Course Outline
- The Clinical Laboratory's Environmental Footprint
- An Introduction to the Current Climate Crisis
- The Clinical Laboratory's Environmental Impact
- Assessing the Laboratory's Role and Creating Awareness
- Other Factors to Consider
- Establishing an Environmental Policy or Environmental Management System
- Greenhouse gas emissions include all of the following except:
- True or False: Typically, clinical labs are relatively low greenhouse gas emitters as compared to other commercial enterprises.
- Which of the following is typically not included in assessing the laboratory's environmental impact?
- Action Plan: Energy Usage
- Where Can Energy Consumption be Reduced in the Laboratory?
- Laboratory Lighting
- Energy Use by Instruments and Equipment
- Freezers and Refrigerators
- Energy Use by Other Instruments and Equipment
- Room Heating, Cooling, and Fume Hoods
- Other Ways to Save Energy
- Steps that may be taken to save energy on ultra-low temperature freezers include all of the following except:
- True or False: The average laboratory autoclave utilizes almost half the energy a US home utilizes in a day.
- Choose the recommended way to save energy when working with fume hoods.
- Action Plan: Purchasing Eco-Friendly Equipment, Supplies, and Reagents
- Purchasing Environmentally Sustainable Equipment
- Purchasing Supplies
- Purchasing Reagents
- Which of the following is not an important consideration when planning to buy environmentally sustainable instruments or equipment?
- True or False: Reusing supplies is more environmentally friendly than recycling.
- Action Plan: Saving on Water and Dealing with Waste
- Water
- Introduction to Waste Management: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Biohazardous Waste: Types of Biohazardous Waste
- Biohazardous Waste: Reducing the Quantity of Waste in Biohazardous Containers
- Chemical Waste
- Regular Waste: Reduce
- Regular Waste: Reuse
- Regular Waste: Recycle
- The most environmentally friendly way to deal with laboratory supplies and reagents is to:
- Which of the following is a good way to dispose of plastic pipette tips that have been used on non-biohazardous substances?
- Which of the following information is usually not listed on an SDS?
- Organizations that Can Help with Making Environmental Sustainability Plans
- My Green Lab
- ACT Database
- International Organization for Standardization and Hospital Energy Alliance
- International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories
- The North American Freezer Challenge
- The Costs of Implementing Environmental Plans
- The ACT label provides:
- The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 aims to help:
- True or False: The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) mandates environmental standards for clinical laboratories.
- References
- References
Additional Information
Level of Instruction: Intermediate
Intended Audience: Medical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory
technicians, laboratory supervisors, and laboratory managers. This course is
also appropriate for MLS and MLT students and pathology residents.
Author Information: Margaret Reinhart, MS, MLS(ASCP), is a Senior Lecturer emeritum of Biological Sciences at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia PA (now known as Saint Joseph's University) where she taught hematology, clinical immunology, parasitology, and other related courses, as well as directed the MLS program for over 30 years. She also taught courses in Global Environmental Sustainability and Animal Studies. She is currently an adjunct instructor in hematology at Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia PA. She holds a Master's Degree in Biology and a Master's Degree in Health Care Administration.
The author has no conflict of interest to disclose.
Reviewers:
Dr. Julie Ann West is certified by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) as a Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) and as a Specialist in Microbiology (SM). In addition, Dr. West has earned a Ph.D. in Public Health - Infectious Disease Epidemiology - and is Certified in Public Health (CPH) by the National Board of Public Health Examiners. Dr. West is experienced as a Technical Specialist, Safety Officer, Educator, and Lead in the Veterans Administration Healthcare System, and has prior experience as an Administrative Laboratory Director.
Joshua J. Cannon, MS, MLS(ASCP)CMSHCM received his Bachelor
of Science and Master of Science in Medical Laboratory Science from Thomas
Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. He holds Medical Laboratory Scientist
and Specialist in Hematology certifications through the ASCP Board of
Certification. He was a professor at Thomas Jefferson University for seven
years before transitioning into his current role as Education Developer at
MediaLab by Vastian. His areas of expertise and professional passions include
clinical hematology and interprofessional education.
Course Description: This course provides information about the environmental impact of clinical laboratories and how to decrease the laboratory's environmental footprint. Anyone concerned about the environment and climate change probably realizes that the clinical laboratory is a big consumer of resources and a producer of large amounts of waste. This course provides information on how to evaluate the environmental impact of your laboratory and how to make an environmental management plan. Applying the concepts of "reduce, reuse, and recycle" will suggest different ways to reduce your laboratory's resource consumption and waste production.