Highly Hazardous Chemical Program

Environmental Health and Safety, in conjunction with BU/Boston Medical Center (BMC) Laboratory Safety Committees, have identified certain chemicals as Highly Hazardous Chemicals (HHCs). A chemical is considered “highly hazardous” if it has any health, physical, or environmental hazards that require additional safety and/or environmental practices beyond the standard laboratory safety requirements. View the Highly Hazardous Chemicals Program for more information regarding HHCs.

DHS Chemicals of Interest

On December 18, 2014, the President signed into law the Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act of 2014 (“the CFATS Act of 2014”), which recodifies and reauthorizes the CFATS program for four years. The purpose of the Standard is to determine where certain chemicals of interest (COI) exist and whether additional security measures are required.

Significant efforts were made during the rule-making process to exempt colleges and universities from the reporting process, but these efforts were not successful. However, the final rule does include modifications that limit the impact on many colleges and universities, all of which are subject to CFATS.

As a result of the ruling, any institution that possesses, or expects to possess chemicals listed in the ruling in excess of its listed thresholds, must submit a detailed survey to the DHS, and may be subject to performing a security vulnerability assessment and implementing a security plan. Environmental Health and Safety has taken the lead on identifying chemicals of interest (COI) at Boston University.

In January 2008, EHS distributed a survey of approximately 90 COI that have low reporting thresholds or are otherwise likely to be present at Boston University in excess of the reporting threshold. Laboratory Supervisors/Principal Investigators (PIs) should inform EHS immediately if they plan to use any the chemicals on the survey list.