The amount of chemicals used in school science education is relatively small. Nevertheless, the legislation for handling chemicals is the same for a factory producing chemicals or a school doing small scale science experiments. Since minors are involved in school activities, special caution must always be taken. The European REACH regulation, that became effective in 2007, steers registration, evaluation, permits and restrictions on chemical substances. The implementation of this and other legislation has added to the workload for science teachers all over Europe. In the UK, science teachers have support with these issues from the CLEAPSS organization. However, in many European countries the national authorities do not realize the complexity of dealing simultaneously with both chemical legislation and educational goals. Within the communities of science teachers in many European countries, there is a need for more knowledge and know-how on how to address chemical risks in science education and the corresponding administrative burden. The aim of the present project is to achieve condensed, up-to date, basic online resources about how to manage school chemicals in European schools. This could potentially lead to some kind of consensus and start a more active discussion about these issues. The aim of the project is also to develop materials and guidelines for teachers to encourage optimization of school experimental work by the application of green chemistry principles. Thus, the following possibilities for optimization of school experimental work would especially be encouraged whenever possible: (1) the use of safe, environmentally benign substances, including solvents; (2) the use of renewable materials and energy sources; (3) the design of energy efficient processes; and (4) preventing waste rather than treating or cleaning up waste after it is created. A desired long-term goal is that teachers feel competent and safe when handling chemicals and managing school laboratories. The main target groups are science teachers, head of schools and science teacher educators. However, the intellectual outputs can also be useful for national and regional agencies for education, work environment and chemistry, who support and control the use of chemicals in schools. All the participating organizations have experience from working with HES-issues (Health, Environment and Safety) in science education; the National Resource Center for Chemistry Teachers at Stockholm University, the Norwegian Centre for Science Education at Oslo University, the University of Helsinki and the University of Ljubljana. Nevertheless, all four partners feel that their contributions in this area could be improved to better meet national demands, as well as the needs of the international community of science teachers. By working transnationally, a best-practice approach based on a wider range of knowledge and experience, will result in higher quality resources compared to if each country were to work nationally. The primary goal is to publish and disseminate online material including 1. Concise information about European legislation on chemicals relevant to the community of science teachers 2. List of chemical risks including marking relevant to the community of science teachers 3. Application of green chemistry principles in school experimental work including ideas of how specific examples of pedagogical content can be taught 4. Risk assessment of (i) work with students with examples and (ii) preparatory and after-work for teachers as well as other involved staff 5. Safety awareness among the students 6. Storage and waste 7. Responsibility issues and delegation The material will primarily be produced by the partner organizations. A reference group, consisting of teachers, heads of schools as well as national, regional and possibly European authorities, will evaluate the material. During the project, the material will be presented at national conferences. At the end of the project time, the intellectual output will be published in English as well as in Finnish, Norwegian, Slovenian and Swedish. It will also be presented at a European conference for teachers, teacher educators and key-decision makers.
The primary objective of the project was to create an online resource on chemical safety work and green chemistry within schools, aimed at science and chemistry teachers, heads of schools, and other stakeholders. It aimed to align closely with legislative requirements and follow good practices in health, safety and environment matters. Moreover, the resource was intended to be tailored to the needs of upper secondary school chemistry, but also be accessible to people lacking a scientific background. To achieve this, a standardized version was developed in English, subsequently translated into the languages of the participating member countries and adapted to suit each nation’s circumstances and regulations. Looking ahead, the aim is to enhance the overall quality of chemical safety work in schools and contribute to teacher's confidence in handling chemicals. To achieve this, the resource must be well-known, and hence dissemination was an important objective for the project. Another goal was to foster the cultivation of chemical safety expertise within the project group itself, capitalizing on the opportunity for collaborative learning among its members.
Chemical safety in science and chemistry education present challenges due to diverse chemical usage, varying teacher backgrounds, and legislation. Employers, formally responsible for safety, often remain unaware of these issues. Schools struggle with compliance and awareness of safety requirements. Recognizing these gaps, project members with expertise in providing chemical safety advice identified the necessity for an updated and comprehensive resource. This prompted the creation of an online platform tailored to schools, chesse.org.