Environmental Exposures in Higher Education

er the past 3 years, environmental-related exposures have risen to near the top of the list of issues facing colleges and universities. Along with health and safety concerns, environmental exposures can negatively impact an institution's reputation in the community and among constituents

The EPA and state regulatory agencies have significantly stepped up environmental enforcement activities, and a number of institutions have had their bottom lines impacted due to their failure to comply with environmental regulations.

Numerous strategies and solutions can be implemented to eliminate, minimize, or manage these exposures and their associated liabilities. But first, a higher education institution must be aware of what those liabilities and exposures are.

Take a minute to answer the simple set of questions. Check YES to any that represent a potential environmental exposure.

	Yes No
1. Does your campus face environmental impairments due to past usage or operations that may have caused contamination? If your property was previously used for commercial or industrial purposes, there is a greater possibility of finding undetected contamination. There is also a greater likelihood of pollutant release in older buildings that were used for chemical storage, or that have toxic materials such as asbestos, PCB?s, or lead-based paint.
2. Do you have underground or aboveground storage tanks? Leaking storage tanks can contaminate surface and groundwater, resulting in significant cleanup expense, possible damage to adjacent property, and possible bodily injury
3. Do you generate air emissions from fuel burning equipment or other activities? Exceeding allowable air emission levels creates exposures that may subject you to penalties ranging in severity from monetary fines or campus disruptions. Facilities that generate air emissions include laboratories, boilers, emergency generators, and incinerators.
4. Do your research laboratories have numerous, old, out-of-date or expired hazardous chemicals in storage that are not properly managed? This is a major focus of EPA inspections. Failure to properly label, store and dispose of these materials will result in monetary fines if found by regulatory agencies
5. Do you generate chemical, medical, biological or low level radioactive waste in laboratories, maintenance facilities, research facilities, sewage treatment plants, or power plants that must be managed and eventually disposed of off-site? Your institution could be held responsible for environmental contamination if the disposal facility improperly transported your waste to an unauthorized location or handled it improperly.
6. Do you consider environmental exposures when property is donated or purchased? You should perform environmental due diligence efforts for all properties that are being purchased or acquired through donations or grants to identify and quantify potential areas of environmental concern
7. Could local residents or citizens groups sue your institution to remedy real or perceived environmental health hazards? Local residents or citizens groups have a strong impact on the cost of environmental liabilities to an organization. They may file suit to have you remedy environmental health hazards.
8. Do you use contractors to perform construction or maintenance activities, and if so, do they use cleaning solvents, paints, pesticides, or herbicides that may expose your institution to loss from environmental damage? If contractors hired to perform construction and maintenance activities are unable to clean up environmental damage that they cause, your institution may be exposed to loss and required to assume responsibility for the remedy.
9. Could soil and groundwater contamination caused by your neighbors? operations migrate onto your campus? Areas surrounding your campus could present an environmental exposure. For example, contamination at a neighboring industrial site could migrate onto your school property presenting health hazards to your students and staff, as well as diminishing your property values.

Overview

Reading Room

Contact Us