Green chemistry in the life science laboratory
While biologists already have some choices for less toxic methods in their tool box, new discoveries in the field of green chemistry will lead to its faster adoption into life science lab work. The EPA is working in the field of green chemistry research to promote productivity and safety, while protecting the environment.
The EPA and internationally collaborating chemists are pushing the frontiers of this trend for good reason. Green chemistry, by design, puts productivity and lab safety on par with reliable results. Green chemistry reduces material volumes and its associated disposal $$$ costs, while protecting the environment. Innovations are sure to result from the high-through put models recently reported by EPA scientists in the publication below, that allowed the rapid identification of over 1600 candidate chemical alternatives.
Labconscious.com has collected a small database of available green lab supplies relevant to biologists. The green chemistry section includes products that replace EtBr use with non-toxic stains that can be visualized with LED instead of UV lights...as well as some mercury free lab thermometers. Labconscious does not collect fees from listing supplies on this site. (We are grateful to be supported by New England Biolabs, a life science reagents company that has committed to protecting the environment since 1975.) It's clear that scientists need resources for planning green experiments. It's wonderful to see lab suppliers stepping up with new products and educational materials to aid in this effort!
In the meantime...thank you yellow robot, for constantly working on finding green chemical alternatives! (HA!)
"In a nutshell, green chemistry is cleaner, cheaper, smarter chemistry" -Rich Engler, EPA Office of Pollution Prevention & Toxins in 2009