INTRODUCTION
The environmental issue has become a world –wide apprehension in the last decades being the focus of discussions in a variety of forums both at natio national nal and and inter internat natio ional nal levels levels.. Becau Because se envir environ onmen mental tal prob problem lems s are are rooted in economic and social policies, they occur at all levels from local to global, global, includi including ng the univers universitie ities, s, specific specifically ally Pamanta Pamantasan san ng Lungsod Lungsod ng Mayni Maynila. la. The The schoo schooll is respo responsi nsible ble for deali dealing ng with with these these prob problem lems s and and working towards solutions. Accordingly the university has tried to address this over the years by creati creating ng poli policie cies, s, and prog progra rams ms in confo conform rmity ity with with the envir environ onmen mental tal legislation, laws and regulations and, expenditures. Although it is not the Chemical engineering (ChE) department’s function to question policy it is however, as concern citizens, the department’s responsibility to investigate the the effect effect of poli policy cy and the the manage managemen mentt measu measure res s that that lead lead to polic policy y decisions. In this way the ChE department can help the institution do a better job vis-à-vis proper waste management. Conseq Conseque uentl ntly, y, the four fourth th year year chemi chemical cal engin engineer eerin ing g studen students ts has has embarked on carrying out environmental audits. The audits will be carried out on any of the environmental issues facing the university (including solid waste waste manage managemen mentt and and waste waste water water). ). As a pilo pilott enviro environm nment ental al audit, audit, a decision was made to audit waste management with particular emphasis on Medi Medica cal, l, Soli Solid d and and Chem Chemic ical al wast waste e gene genera rate ted d by coll colleg eges es usin using g the the laboratory facilities. Three colleges (College of Medicine, College of Science and and Coll Colleg ege e of Phys Physic ical al Ther Therap apy) y) were were audit udited ed,, whil while e the the Phys Physic ical al Development Development and Special Projects Office (PDSPO) was solicited. Waste that is not managed properly affects not only human health but the other aspects of the environment like water, air and biological diversity.
The purpose purpose of this managem management ent report/e report/envir nvironm onmenta entall audit audit report report was was ther theref efor ore e to make make know known n the the find findin ings gs of the the audi auditt rega regard rdin ing g the the handling, storage and, disposal of waste. The report was not intended to be exhaustive. exhaustive. In line with audits of this nature, the intention was to provide the reader with a general understanding of the current situation with regard to medical, chemical and solid wastes and in particular, the adequacy of the management measures with regard to the risks and applicable legislation, regulations and procedures associated therewith.
BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
Enviro Environm nmen ental tal issue issues s and and conce concern rns s are are given given very very low prior priority ity in political governance, especially in the local and lowermost levels where it matters most. Thi This s is caus caused ed by the the lack lack of awar awaren enes ess s of the the impo import rtan ance ce of environmental resources as the foundation for any economic development (e.g., water, soil, etc.) The There re is also also lack lack of awar awaren enes ess s on the the part part of the the gove govern rnme ment nt leadersh leadership ip on the numerou numerous s laws laws dealing dealing with environ environment mental al protecti protection. on. Almost all laws are passed by Congress without an adequate information and communications program. Thu Thus s ther there e is no poli politi tica call will will on the the part part of the the gove govern rnme ment ntal al leader leadershi ship p to compl comply y and and enfor enforce ce basic basic envir environ onmen mental tal and and susta sustain inabl able e development laws. Sometimes, even with knowledge of the importance of environmental concerns and of the relevant laws, neglect, patronage, and corruption come in the way of compliance and enforcement. The situation situation above above prevails prevails in many many countri countries, es, especiall especially y in “less“lessconsuming countries” (a.k.a. so-called developing countries) The The idea idea of an envi enviro ronm nmen enta tall comp compli lian ance ce audi auditt was was born born out out of frus frustr trat atio ion n by a lawy lawyer er/a /aut utho horr who who has has writ writte ten n an 850 850 page page book book on
Philippine Environmental Law and realized that not even one per cent of the some 130 laws are being implemented. This novel idea seeks to ensure that: •
Environmental concerns are brought to the attention of the local and national political leaders concerned
•
•
They are addressed with sufficient seriousness and determination Public officers tasked to implement, comply and enforce the Law are held accountable for their inability or unwillingness to comply with the relevant environmental laws. Republic Republic Act 9003 known as the Ecological Ecological Solid Waste Management Management of
2000 along with other city ordinances regarding solid waste management (e.g. segregation, recycling and reusing) are among the prevailing laws and regulations in compliance with the Philippine Environmental Law.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The environmental condition of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila has always been the concern of each and every person involved in the university; from the administration down to the maintenance personnel. A university cannot function well with an unhealthy environment for it causes much much prob proble lem m to all all the the peop people le in the the univ univer ersi sity ty.. Beca Becau use of this this,, environmental audits should always be done to ensure the quality of the environment that the university has. Every college in the university contributes contributes to a great number of wastes generated per day, whether it is solid or liquid waste. But the ways on how the wastes are disposed were not really specified by the different colleges. Laboratories of different colleges, specifically College of Medicine, College of Nursing, College of Science, and College of Physical Therapy generates not just ordinary wastes such as cadavers, chemicals, dissected animals, etc. As a result, there is much concern on how the colleges dispose such wastes and the conditions of the environment within the vicinity of PLM.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Every educational institution is working its way in uplifting the quality of teach teachin ing; g; this this is done done by securi securing ng that that studen students ts are are given given atten attentio tion n neede needed d under under their their respec respectiv tive e colleg colleges. es. By requ requiri iring ng the profe professo ssors rs and and instr instruct uctor ors s the the desir desired ed units units of maste masters rs is anoth another er.. These These are just just some some observed rules in order to augment the knowledge and expertise in the field. Eventually students are equipped with the skills and become well-versed in thei theirr fiel fields ds unde underr ever every y degr degree ee pro program gram offe offere red d by an educ educat atio iona nall inst instit itut utio ion. n. Less Lesson ons, s, book books, s, modu module les s and and the the like like do cont contri ribu bute te to the the students, but are short to be used as gauge and basis of learning. The quality of the environment is one indicator if the students are offered with the atmosphere conducive for studying. The environment within the vicinity/premises of the school can never be set aside. Learning comes when understanding establish its place in the mind mind and imbibed imbibed for applicatio application. n.
The quality quality of environm environment ent matters matters to
everyone everyone especially when concentration is needed. Further, the health of the concerned people in the campus should precede the excellence that every educa educatio tional nal insti institut tutio ion n is after after with. with. Conver Conversel sely, y, clean clean and and conve conveni nient ent surroundings yield excellence among students. A clean workplace is desirable and result to good outcome. Laboratory work works s such such as in Chemi Chemistr stry y (chemi (chemical cal analy analysis sis), ), Biolog Biology y and and Medici Medicine ne (dissection of of cadaver and specimen) specimen) among among others. Laboratory Laboratory workplace workplace should be secured contaminants-free and pollutants-free to get the wanted
results. The emissions coming from the cars parked that might mix with the air inhaled by the students are also to be determined. Pama Pamant ntas asan an ng Lung Lungso sod d ng Mayn Maynil ila a embo embodi died ed in itse itself lf the the word word excellence, is sought after with an environmental check/audit.
OBJECTIVES
This research study tackling an environmental check/audit is anchored with the following objectives.
To carry carry out an environ environmen mental tal check/au check/audit dit per college college and related related offices, if the standard of cleanliness is achieved and well-implemented well-implemented in their area of responsibility.
To know know their their waste waste dispo disposal sal proce procedu dures res especi especiall ally y colleg colleges es with with laboratory operations.
To assess the concern colleges’ part /contribution in the maintenance of PLM vicinity/premises as student-friendly.
SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
This research includes only the environmental check, waste disposal manag manageme ement nt and and maint maintena enance nce of PLM PLM vicini vicinity ty as stude studentnt-fri friend endly ly and and cond conduci ucive ve for learn learnin ing. g. An envir environ onmen mental tal audi auditt is done done per colle college ge and assess if the criteria is met.
This research study is limited with the tests as determinant for the presence of trace elements in excess in the water system of the college with labor laborato atory ry subje subjects cts.. Furthe Further, r, the deter determin minati ation on of the the quali quality ty of odor odor,, condition of air, and the presence of pollutant in excess are excluded. Centred on the quality of PLM environment through the environmental audit audit,, crite criteri ria a writt written en there therewi with th is being being follo followed wed.. Other Other mater material ials s and and source sources s (prima (primary ry and and secon secondar dary) y) that that the resea researc rcher hers s think think are of less less importance in conducting the study are deemed unnecessary.
METHODOLOGY OCCULAR INSPECTION AND INTERVIEWS
For For the the purp purpos oses es of envi enviro ronm nmen enta tall audi auditi ting ng of the the univ univer ersi sity ty,, evalua evaluatio tion n of labor laborato atorie ries s as well well as waste waste discar discardin ding g spot spot of diffe differen rentt Coll Colleg eges es was was cond conduc ucte ted. d. To inte intens nsif ify y the the envi enviro ronm nmen enta tall asse assess ssme ment nt modified multi-step stratified data gathering procedure method was used in the the cond conduct uct of infor informat matio ion n gathe gatheri ring ng.. Inclu Included ded in such such proc procedu edure res s were were ocul ocular ar insp inspec ecti tion ons s of the the site site,, whic which h also also incl includ udes es medi medica cal, l, soli solid d and and chemi chemical cals s wastes wastes dispo disposin sing g site, site, in addi additio tion n to checki checking ng of the the prop proper er comp compar artm tmen entt of chem chemic ical als s used used by stud studen ents ts in some some of thei theirr subj subjec ects ts requiri requiring ng laborato laboratory ry plus plus intervi interview ew with Engr.Rol Engr.Rolando ando Marasigan Marasigan,, head of PDSPO and the laboratory personnel. Inter Intervie views ws were were done done using using quest questio ions ns that that were were formu formulat lated ed by the resea research rchers ers.. These These Quest Questio ions ns addr address essin ing g to the the respe respecti ctive ve dean deans s and and laboratory personnel are embark upon the evaluation of the laboratory and disposal site located to the area where they were primarily be connected with.
a.
OCULAR IN INSPECTION
The researchers visited the Laboratories and disposing sites for the purpose of assessing the safety and order of the place based on the the rese resear arch cher ers’ s’ pers perspe pect ctiv ive. e. Clea Cleanl nlin ines ess s and and hygi hygien ene e was was also also subjected to appraisal but limited to some areas where students are non-permissible. Part of the inspection is to check the proper placing of materials which include in laboratory room, laboratory equipment and the proper compartment of chemicals.
The The plac place e for for sett settin ing g out out the the nonnon-wo work rkin ing g scho school ol prop proper erty ty,, dented dented Equipmen Equipment, t, municip municipal al waste, waste, and used chemical chemicals s were also consider considered. ed. The distance distance where these these material materials s discard discarded ed was also pleas pleasin ing g into into consi consider derati ation on as well well as the the mann manner er they they are are being being dumped. The presence of warning signs that promotes safety, welfare and order of the laboratory were also scrutinized.
b.
FIELD INTERVIEWS
Authoriz Authorized ed personn personnel el were were intervie interviewed wed to provide provide informat information ion regarding the proper waste disposal in the entire university, as well as the laboratory maintenance.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS INTERVIEW:
As the principal method in gathering information, interview with the head of PDSPO was conducted, since it is the office responsible for all the wast waste e disp dispos osal al mana manage geme ment nt in the the univ univer ersi sity ty.. In line line with with this this,, Engr Engr.. Marasi Marasiga gan n gave gave reliab reliable le infor informa matio tion n on how how our our univ univers ersity ity hand handles les the prop proper er waste waste mana managem gement ent.. Accor Accordi ding ng to him, him, our our unive universi rsity ty follo follows ws the Clea Clean n Air Air Act. Act. Firs Firstt is the the proc proces ess s of Wast Waste e Segr Segreg egat atio ion, n, wher wherei ein n the the biodegradable and non- biodegradable materials are separated in different containers, black for biodegradable and green for non-biodegradable. The purpose of it is to separate and obtain the recyclable materials that can be
sold like plastics and plastic bottles, the janitors are the ones making the solution to lessen the number of wastes in our university. At the back of the gym, there is a Waste Storage house constructed, wherein the garbage are placed there, every 4 in the morning morning the Manila City Hall dump trucks collect the wastes. “Regarding the cleanliness of the campus, we have 50 janitors and jan janit itre ress, ss, 25 peop people le at a time time,, work workin ing g insi inside de the the univ univer ersi sity ty tryi trying ng to maintain the cleanliness of the whole campus.” As of now, our university is not violating any law regarding waste disposal and our campus is doing fine. One of the researchers asked, if the PSDPO is cooperating with the College of Science regarding their laboratory laboratory waste disposal, he said that the chemi chemical cals s dispo disposed sed are are non non toxic toxic,, becau because se it is someh somehow ow dilu diluted ted so it’s it’s already safe to discharge directly to the drainage. So, he believed that we’re not using toxic toxic compou compounds nds and chemical chemicals s like for example example the formalin formalin,, which is not harmful waste since it is already diluted upon disposal. On the the othe otherr hand, and, the the disp dispos osal al of cadav adaver ers s is also also disc discu ussed ssed.. According to him, there are proper or systematic ways to dispose cadavers; they are not disposed that easy, a cadaver cannot be disposed without the knowledge of the Manila City Hall. There is a process for disposing cadavers, for it reflects our respect to the dead bodies. The university is not throwing the dead body in a garbage can, it is buried. There is a cadaver house at the back of the gym, where the bodies are well preserved and when the cadaver is burn burned ed with with forma formalin lin,, and and can no long longer er be studi studied ed by the Medicine Medicine students then that is the time when the cadaver can be disposed or buried after undergoing an appropriate process. Environmental Environmental Law is also applicable in PLM, since we are a part of this country; the Environmental Policy applies to all of the covered places and municipalities of the Philippines.
The The chem chemic ical als s used used in the the labo labora rato tory ry of the the camp campu us actu actual ally ly contributes to the air pollution, since the pollution emitted by the chemicals once it is opened is diluted with air, it is somehow reduced and partially disappear, thus not affecting the whole campus. For non air conditioning rooms, there are several ventilation or open windows so that air can circulate through through the area. In addition, the university has ventilating fans, wherein the chemicals emitted are mixed with air, so there is a reduction of whatever toxic substances present in the air. “Dilution is the key to pollution.” This is the primary idea why the management need to employ ventilation in the area affected by the gasified chem chemic ical als. s. A mini minima mall conc concen entr trat atio ion n of thes these e toxi toxic c chem chemic ical als s may may be declared as safe. Also Also,, we plac placed ed flow flower erin ing g plan plantt all all thro throug ugho hout ut the the univ univer ersi sity ty to neutralize the pollution for we all know that these plants absorbs carbon dioxide which is a pollutant in the atmosphere. “Dis “Disci cipl plin ine e must must be obse observ rved ed by the the peop people le of this this univ univer ersi sity ty to maintain its cleanliness. It has to start from the simple and proper solid wast waste e disp dispos osal al up to the the prop proper er drai draina nage ge of the the use use chem chemic ical als s by the the students during their laboratory practice.”
Laboratory Inspection
Ocular inspection was done to scrutinize College of Medicine
Laboratory facilities in particular microscopes, chairs and tables tables are in great great conditions conditions and are properly arranged
Lavatories are preserved although there are some stains caused maybe by chemicals etc.
The do’s and do not’s are posted on the walls
Displayed projects are contained in a safe glass cabinet for safety purposes
They strictly follow proper waste disposal, segregating segregating biodegradable biodegradable from nonbiodegradable wastes
Wastes are properly contained in waste bags and these waste bags are properly arranged in waste storage house
Structural materials materials are placed in the warehouse in organized manner
Used flourescent lights dumped at the rear part of Gusaling Bagatsing
College of Science
Laboratory facilities in particular chairs
and tables are in poor conditions
Lavatories are full of stains due to improper waste disposal
Laboratory equipment are in bad conditions
Uneccessary things are everywhere
Unclean drums and containers are everywhere
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
Based on the interviews with the Deans of College of Medicine, College of Scienc Science, e, and Colleg College e of Physic Physical al Therap Therapy; y; and from from the invest investiga igatio tions ns of the laboratories in each college, it is pretty obvious that there are some positive and negatives outcomes for the conducted research entitled “Environmental Audit 2009 of Colleges of Medicine, Medicine, Science, and Physical Therapy in Pamantasan Pamantasan ng Lungsod Lungsod ng Maynila” . •
For the positive outcomes, it is seen that proper signage on waste disposal are
•
post posted ed not not only only in the the labo labora rato tori ries es but but also also in the the vici vicini nity ty of the the campus. The signage indicated what type of garbage or wastes are to be disposed in the respective containers.
•
Segregations are implemented for solid waste disposal. This is evident through through the use of diffe different rent contai containers ners for biode biodegra grada dable ble and nonnonbiodegradable as well as plastic wastes.
•
Environ Environmen mental tal Laws Laws are implem implement ented ed around around the campu campus. s. Like Like for example, smoking is not allowed while inside the campus.
•
The Waste Storage house served as a collector and storage of the solid wastes before the Manila City hall dump trucks pick the garbage of the campus, so that it will not be seen and scattered around the campus.
Like Like othe otherr cond conduc ucte ted d rese resear arch ch,, ther there e are are some some poss possib ible le nega negati tive ve outcomes or facts that are revealed as the study went through. •
No other waste water treatment is used. It is evident in the
improper improper disposal of used chemicals chemicals from the laborator laboratory y works of the students. •
Some hazardous wastes, like fluorescent lamps at the back of
Gusalin Gusaling g Bagat Bagatsin sing, g, are not proper properly ly dispos disposed. ed. These These can result result to accident or clogging of water pathway. •
Diluti ution
is
used
in
laboratory
chem hemicals
to
lower
the
concentration before disposing it directly from the laboratories which can also result to clogging. •
Some Some student students s are not follow following ing the implem implement ented ed Laws Laws and
Regulations on proper disposal around the campus.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Environmental Awareness
In order order to creat create e envir environ onmen mental tal awar awarene eness ss among amongst st staffs staffs of the the College of Medicine, College of Science and College of Physical Therapy it is reco recomm mmen ende ded d
that that
the the
univ univer ersi sity ty
admin dminis istr trat atio ion n
thro throug ugh h
Phys Physic ical al
Deve Develo lopm pmen entt and and Spec Specia iall Proj Projec ects ts Offi Office ce shou should ld play play a lead leadin ing g role role in emphasising the importance of observing environmentally sound practices and in particular in management of medical, chemical and solid wastes. Thro Throug ugh h its routi routine ne waste waste dispo disposal sal mana managem gemen ent, t, it shoul should d incor incorpor porate ate environ environment mental al issues issues so as to increase increase environ environment mental al awarene awareness. ss. PDSPO PDSPO should encourage all colleges, especially those with laboratory facilities, in the the univ univers ersity ity to access access and adher adhere e to the envir environ onmen mental tal regul regulati ation ons s in place, since it is charged with the responsibility of monitoring the proper waste disposal in the entire university. Risk Evaluation
In order to mitigate the risks associated with medical, chemical and solid wastes, it is important that management should always try to identify and assess the nature of the risks involved and then try to devise ways and means of managing those risks. Currently there have not been any attempts to identify the risks posed by medical waste a fact which contributes to it being not given the attention it deserves. Policies and Strategies
As already pointed out, a draft National Hospital Policy is available. It is important that the environmental sections of the policy are drafted which will addr addres ess s issu issues es to do with with medi medica call wast waste e mana manage geme ment nt.. The The indi indivi vidu dual al hospitals can then base on this national policy to make their own policies to be followed by staff in the respective hospitals.
Internal Waste Management Systems
It is important that management of the individual hospitals set up strict internal waste management systems with clear duties and responsibilities to all concerned. This way, it will always be possible to identify which individual has failed to perform his or her assigned responsibilities. Increased Monitoring Monitoring
Increasing monitoring by the ministry staff, NEMA staff and the district environmental officers can also help in guiding management of individual hospitals in areas they are found to be lacking. The interaction between the moni monito tori ring ng staf stafff
and and hosp hospit ital al staf stafff
will will also also incr increa ease se envi enviro ronm nmen enta tall
awar awarene eness ss and and possi possibl bly y lead lead to adher adherenc ence e to envir environ onme menta ntall laws laws and and regulations, thus contributing to conservation of our environment.
