Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3)

Every year, throughout the country, hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent on school incidents involving chemicals such as spills and fires. These incidents involve potentially dangerous chemicals which, in some cases, had been unused for more than thirty years. In addition to financial costs, these spills may also cause school closures that result in a loss of valuable education time. The Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) seeks to address this issue by not only cleaning out excess, legacy, unused, and improperly stored chemicals but also by going a step further and implementing preventive mechanisms in schools.

In summer of 2004, EPA provided initial funding to the ten regions to support Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign (SC3) programs. Each region is using this money to fund former, current or newly developed school cleanout programs in schools with a self-identified need for assistance.

The goals of the SC3 are to:

Remove potentially harmful chemicals from schools; Emphasize the implementation of preventive programs such as chemical management training for lab instructors and microscale techniques; and Raise national awareness of the issue of chemicals in schools.

The ultimate goal of the Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign is to create a chemically safer school environment in which chemicals are purchased wisely, stored safely, handled by trained personnel, used responsibly, and disposed of properly.

More Information

• Healthy School Environments

• Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign in your Region
  

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