Fort Detrick houses some of the nation’s top biosafety level laboratories for medical research. In order to protect the Fort Detrick and Frederick communities, and the water quality of the Monocacy River, Fort Detrick enforces regulations that prohibit the disposal of laboratory chemicals into drains on post.
The management of hazardous waste is regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Fort Detrick regulation 200-7 prohibits all laboratory solutions defined as hazardous from being disposed into drains on post. This regulation also requires biological contaminated materials from Fort Detrick facilities to be decontaminated before disposal to the wastewater treatment plant.
“I believe the labs are knowledgeable about allowable discharges. The labs containerize most of their solutions that have potential to impact the environment,” said Mark Lewis, Fort Detrick wastewater program manager.
Inappropriate disposal of certain chemicals into the sanitary sewer system may create a variety of hazards, including fire and/or explosion within the drain system, corrosion of drainpipes, and hazardous chemical exposure to plumbers. Chemicals can also kill microorganisms necessary for normal and effective operation of the waste water treatment plant and contribute to the addition of unacceptable amounts of toxic substances to sewage sludge.
For employees at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases who handle chemicals, a Waste Disposal Training is conducted annually, according to Joanne Parsley, Environmental Protection Specialist for USAMRIID.
“Quarterly environmental inspections [are] conducted by the Safety and Environmental Division to reinforce this policy,” Parsley said. “Employees are trained to call the environmental [office] if there is ever a question as to whether something can go down the drain or must be collected for proper disposal.”
For more information about Fort Detrick’s non-domestic waste water control regulation, please contact the environmental management office at (301) 619-0044.