Reducing the Environmental Impact of Clinical Laboratories (Online CE Course)

Continuing Education Credits

P.A.C.E.® Contact Hours (acceptable for AMT, ASCP, and state recertification): 1 hour(s) Approved through 6/30/2025

Florida Board of Clinical Laboratory Personnel Credit Hours - Supervision/Administration, Quality Control/Quality Assurance, and Safety: 1 hour(s) Approved through 6/30/2025

Objectives

• Describe the current environmental footprint of clinical laboratories and why establishing an environmental policy is important.
• Identify the major areas (energy usage) where improvement is needed.
• Assess which instruments, supplies, and reagents might have a lower environmental impact.
• Identify environmentally friendly ways that waste can be managed, including materials that can be reused or recycled.
• Describe organizations that can assist in making an environmental plan or management system.

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Course Outline

• The Clinical Lab's Environmental Footprint
• An Introduction to the Current Climate Crisis
• The Clinical Laboratory's Environmental Impact
• Assessing the Lab's Role and Creating Awareness
• Other Factors to Consider
• Establishing an Environmental Policy or Environmental Management System
• Greenhouse gas emissions include all of the following, except:
• True or False: Typically, clinical labs are relatively low greenhouse gas emitters as compared to other commercial enterprises.
• Which of the following is not typically included in an assessment of the lab's environmental impact?
• Action Plan: Energy Usage
• Where Can Energy Consumption be Reduced in the Lab?
• Laboratory Lighting
• Energy Use by Instruments and Equipment
• Freezers and Refrigerators
• Energy Usage by Other Instruments and Equipment...continued
• Room Heating, Cooling, and Fume Hoods
• Other Ways to Save Energy
• Steps that may be taken to save energy on ultra-low temp lab freezers include all of the following, except:
• True or False: The average lab autoclave utilizes almost half the energy a US home utilizes in a day.
• Choose the recommended way to save energy when working with fume hoods:
• Action Plan: Purchasing Eco-friendly Equipment, Supplies and Reagents
• Purchasing Environmentally Sustainable Equipment
• Purchasing Supplies
• Purchasing Reagents
• Which of the following is not an important consideration when planning to buy environmentally sustainable instruments or equipment?
• True or False: Reusing supplies is more environmentally friendly than recycling.
• Action Plan: Saving on Water and Dealing with Waste
• Water
• Introduction to Waste Management: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
• Biohazardous Waste: Types of Biohazardous Waste
• Biohazardous Waste: Reducing the Quantity of Waste in Biohazardous Containers
• Chemical Waste
• Regular Waste: Reduce
• Regular Waste: Reuse
• Regular Waste: Recycle
• The most environmentally friendly way to deal with lab supplies and reagents is to:
• Which of the following is a good way to dispose of plastic pipette tips that have been used on non-biohazardous substances?
• Which of the following information is not usually listed on Safety Data Sheets (SDS)?
• Organizations that Can Help with Making Environmental Sustainability Plans
• My Green Lab
• ACT. Database
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Hospital Energy Alliance
• International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL)
• The North American Freezer Challenge
• The Costs of Implementing Environmental Plans
• The ACT label provides:
• The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 aims to help:
• True or False: The International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) mandates environmental standards for clinical labs.
• References
• References

Additional Information