Environmental and Laboratory Safety
Biologists must prioritize getting reliable experimental results when purchasing chemicals, reagents, plastic ware, glassware and lab equipment. However, this need should be balanced with environmental and human health concerns.
The new ACT label from the non-profit, My Green Lab is a simple way for scientists to access 3rd party verified information on life science laboratory products. It has a feel similar to the U.S. food industry's nutritional label. The ACT label scores communicate product associated resource consumption, end of life waste issues and chemical hazard levels. It's definitely useful if your research institution has sustainability goals.
Supporting information is available here:
First-Ever Environmental Impact Factor Label Opens New Doors for Life Science Industry Sustainable Brands®
My Green Lab Introduces the ACT Label for Sustainable Laboratory Work Labconscious interview
The ACT label page on the My Green Lab web site.
“The ACT label provides transparency to allow us to learn how to improve the environmental impact of life science work. “
-Allison Paradise Director of My Green Lab”
This month, the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) officially permits recombinant reagents for bacterial endotoxin testing. If every lab using Limulus polyphemus-based reagents switched, it would prevent the deaths of around a hundred thousand horseshoe crabs each year. More likely, labs able to switch will reap the benefits of improved testing accuracy, and this will relieve pressure from our tenuous dependency on wildlife.