CABICHEM hosts an online training course on "Safety and Security issues in the management of C and B waste materials in manufacture facilities and laboratories" for Afghan stakeholders

On 15 and 16 March 2021 the Institute of Chemical Sciences and Technologies of the Italian National Research Council (ISTM – CNR), with the support of Fondazione FORMIT, held the Training Programme 1 on “Safety and Security issues in the management of C and B waste materials in manufacture facilities and laboratories” tailored for the Afghan stakeholders involved in the project. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the impairment to travel, the training was held online.

The training – which has been already delivered for Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan – involved more than 10 stakeholders from Afghan Ministries and Agencies. It had the goal of enhancing knowledge and know-how about safety and security issues related to the generation, handling, stockpiling, transportation, treatment and disposal of chemical (C) and biological (B) waste materials. Amongst the topics discussed were the state of the art, trends and new principles on chemical and biological waste management, with a specific focus on the guidance principles adopted at international and regional level about C and B waste identification, classification and handling.
During day 1 – following the welcome speech of Dr. Iryna Iarema, UNICRI Regional Coordinator for Central Asia, and Dr. Christian Raitz von Frentz, IcSP Regional Cooperation Officer for Central Asia – the scientific team provided the definitions, state of the art and rules of hazardous chemical and biological waste. A further discussion followed regarding chemical waste handling, hazard identification and classification and a flowchart about hazardous waste and how to determine it.
During day 2 the Afghan Local Expert presented the current C&B waste management practices in the country. Following this, the scientific team led by Dr. Matteo Guidotti provided the main trends and concerns in the field of chemical and biological waste management.
At the end of the two sessions, all participants thanked the project staff for organising a very interesting and practical training that will help them in properly addressing the chemical and biological issues in their country.