Safety Meets Sustainability Rob Klein, MS, CIH Environmental Health & Safety Yale University New Haven, CT Making Universities Sustainable Copenhagen, Denmark 23 October 2014

Partnerships at Yale Sustainability Facilities / Utilities / Systems Engineering Purchasing and Procurement Yale Animal Research Center Lab Managers & Researchers Environmental Health & Safety

Modern Laboratories Protect research materials and people Highly engineering for odor control, comfort, and safety High flux of supplies, materials, and hazardous wastes Trend towards disposal products Primarily 100% exhaust air Energy-intensive All labs are not =

Lab TypeRooms Biomedical3,287 (70%) Research Animal (husbandry, procedure, and support) 567 (12%) Chemistry251 (5%) Engineering & Physics242 (5%) Environmental, Geology, and Planetary Sciences 182 (4%) Teaching48 (1%) Pathology/Anatomy Services 1 28 (1%) All Other18 (<<) Total4,623 (100%) 1 Includes surgical path lab services, autopsy, and gross anatomy

Laboratory Footprint at Yale Total gross space at Yale – owned and leased 19.3 M ft 2 Assignable lab space (includes owned and leased) 1.3 M ft 2 (6.3%) Utilities consumed by labsUS$ 32 M/year (= 50% of total) !!!

Energy Consumption in Yale Labs (US$ 32 M/year) Chilled water 41% Steam 31% Electricity 10% US$ 2M/year regulated waste disposal Vs.

Historical Tension Areas General lab room ventilation Fume hood flow rates Recycling chemical containers Excess protective equipment use in animal research Freezer and contents management

Obstacles to Change “We’ve always done it this way” Requirements from regulatory agencies and accrediting organizations Over-designed systems Changes in research – reagents, equipment Indirect costs externalize involvement Funding rules that limit “sharing” and encourage over-buying (“use it or lose it”)

General Laboratory Ventilation Background: –Control emissions, reduce odors, and clear spills Tension: –100% exhaust of conditioned lab air, historically at rates of 4-12 or more ACH; even higher in animal facilities Safety concerns: –Older epidemiological data suggest higher incidence of disease among chemists and other lab workers –Air flows too low will result in exposures

C = C o e -n … in a Perfectly Mixed Room

Small Spills Benchtop Work (x 6) “fugitive emissions”

Original Supply Air Diffusers New Radial Style Supply Air Diffusers

Spills – Duct Measurements Original 6 Supply Air Diffusers

Spills – Duct Measurements Original But Only 3 Supply Air Diffusers

Spills – Duct Measurements 3 New Style Supply Air Diffusers

Supply Air Diffuser Effects Spills (Duct Measurements) Observations: Higher [peak]’s Faster clearance

CFD Modeling - Residual Contamination (benchtop emission model, time = 70 min, 6 ACH) 6 original supply air diffusers3 new supply air diffusers

Empirical Conclusions Higher ACH → lower concentrations, faster clearance Greatest improvement from ~ ACH But diminishing returns ≥ 8 ACH Reducing number and style of SA diffusers provides functional equivalent of 2 – 4 additional ACH vs. original room HVAC design Must consider original HVAC system design before lowering ventilation rates Be aware of the limitations of demand control systems

Very Serious Cost US$ 8 / CFM exhaust / year (average): –1 ACH reduction ~ $1,400 / yr test lab alone –$116,000 / yr this bldg alone –$1.95 M / yr entire campus With proper room HVAC design, we now accept 6 ACH, less in unoccupied labs Shameless self-promotion: 2 articles in J Chemical Health & Safety – Klein, King, and Kosior

Some Other Successes

Conclusions and Advice Data-driven Dialogue, communication, and teamwork Open mind and willingness to consider change

Questions?