On average, from 2011 to 2021, academic labs generated around 4,300 metric tons of hazardous waste each year. One of the largest lab-used solvents discarded is dichloromethane and more than half of that waste ends up burned. In today’s episode, policy reporters Krystal Vasquez and Leigh Krietsch Boerner dive into the processes academic labs use to dispose of said waste, the consequences of new EPA regulations around dichloromethane, and what solutions academic institutions are coming up with to accommodate these new rules.
C&EN Uncovered, a project from C&EN’s podcast, Stereo Chemistry, offers a deeper look at subjects from recent stories. Check out Krystal’s story on the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations regarding dichloromethane at https://cenm.ag/dcmregs and check out Leigh’s story about solvent waste disposal in academic laboratories at https://cenm.ag/wastedisposal.
Cover photo: Lab solvents C&EN July 15th cover photo
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A transcript of this episode will be available soon at cen.acs.org.
Credits
Executive producer(s): Gina Vitale, David Anderson
C&EN Uncovered host: Craig Bettenhausen
Reporter(s): Krystal Vasquez, Leigh Krietsch Boerner
Audio editor: Ted Woods
Copyeditor: Bran Vickers
Episode artwork: Will Ludwig
Music: “Hot Chocolate,” by Aves
Contact Stereo Chemistry: Contact us on social media at @cenmag or email cenfeedback@acs.org