DoD's War on Hazardous Waste. Volume 3. Identifying Specifications That Require the Use of Hazardous Substances
Abstract
In this study, we demonstrate that the process of locating references to hazardous materials in standardization documents can be simplified greatly by using existing computerized data handling systems. As a first step, we conducted an automated search of DoD and Federal standardization documents for references to 132 hazardous materials that fall into one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 17 priority toxic chemical categories. We limited our search to document headings, subheadings, and titles; we did not search the entire text of the documents. We found that almost 1,500 documents, or about 2.1 percent of all DoD and Federal standardization documents on file, refer to one or more of the 132 hazardous materials. Based on our work with a sample of documents, we estimate that searching the entire text of every document would increase the number of references to about 2.6 percent. About 40 percent of the references require the use of hazardous material; 27 percent identify tests for or with the material; and 13 percent allow the use of the material as an option. In addition, we found 200 documents (14 percent) that specifically prohibit the use of one or more of the hazardous materials. Listing of standardization documents referring to chemicals are provided. We recommend more sophisticated review approaches and the provision of more information on nontoxic alternatives for program managers.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA244493
Entities
People
- Douglas M. Brown
- Robert J. Baxter
Organizations
- LMI