Is your school science lab safe?

Science class is one of the first places kids formally learn about our natural world.

Unfortunately, improper storage of hazardous chemicals in school labs has become a nationwide safety issue. The typical middle or high school science lab stocks a variety of chemicals, some of which may be highly toxic, carcinogenic, corrosive, reactive, or even explosive.

In 2004, the Hazardous Waste Program of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) sent inventory surveys to about 400 Montana schools, asking if certain chemicals were stored in school labs and stockrooms.

Based on those surveys, the department is now offering workshops for educators on laboratory safety, the dangers of old chemicals, and the proper management and disposal of unwanted chemicals.

A series of free one-day workshops will take place in nine Montana communities during the last half of September 2005. 
Continuing education credits will be available for workshop attendees. Exact times and locations will be posted on the MDEQ School Labs site: www.mdeqschoollabs.com.

For more information, contact Bob Reinke at DEQ (406-444-1435).