Cradle-to-grave tracking of hazardous and radioactive materials for pollution prevention

As part of Sandia National Laboratories' (SNL) pollution prevention program, a system is under development to track the movement of hazardous and radioactive materials from procurement, through use, to final disposition. The information provided by this system will improve the flow and enhance the quality of data, avoid duplication of effort, facilitate timely and accurate reporting, better support the information needs of various Environmental, Safety, and Health (ES and H) programs, and allow waste to be minimized more effectively. Such a comprehensive system will incorporate information from various sources and build upon existing databases. The components include the Chemical Information System/Material Safety Data Sheet (CIS/MSDS) system installed by AT and T Bell Laboratories (AT and T-BL) at SNL in Livermore, and a Waste Information System (WIS) developed in Livermore. At SNL, Albuquerque a bar code chemical waste tracking system is already in operation and being developed are Process Waste Assessments (PWA), a radioactive material tracking system, and a radioactive/mixed waste tracking system. A SNL and AT and T-BL joint project is addressing how PWAs will link raw materials to waste streams. With a 'cradle-to-grave' tracking system, it is possible to assess both financial and environmental life cycle costs. Once in place, this information will improve long-run efficiency and environmental protection, and provide benefits exceeding the initial demands placed upon personnel. (author)