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Updated: Jul 12, 2025
High Content Screening Analysis to Evaluate the Toxicological Effects of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Constituents HPHC
Published on: May 10, 2016
A mini review of hazardous wastes generated by environmental analytical laboratories: a perspective from Sri Lanka as
Ranil Kavindra Asela Kularatne1,2,3
1School of Environment, Ecology and Biomedicine, La Trobe University, Campus, Bundoora, Victoria, 3083, Australia. aselaranil4@gmail.com.
Abstract:
Attention given to environmental pollution caused by environmental analytical (EA) laboratories is very poor in Sri Lanka (an economically developing country). This article discusses EA laboratory effluents and hazardous solid wastes, current environmental management practices, and the legislative requirements in Sri Lanka. Effluent quantities generated are low (29.99-63.09 L/week), but characterized with variable pH, high chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS) and heavy metals, and very high ecotoxicity. Quantities of chemical-contaminated solid wastes is 80-100 kg/year (excluding outdated and rejected chemicals). Most laboratories dispose chemical-contaminated solid wastes mixed with non-hazardous recyclables using the services of local authorities and some laboratories (particularly in areas where there is no municipal solid waste collection), practice backyard dumping or open burning, while a few laboratories employ private parties to dispose or burn these wastes elsewhere. Only one laboratory is disposing chemical-contaminated solid wastes through co-processing. Appropriate waste management strategies (including some cleaner production concepts) are discussed in this paper for selected streams of hazardous wastes.
