Reflections in Chemical Safety and Research: Doing Science Against All Odds in the Philippines

Abstract

Imagine yourself as an idealistic recent university graduate, who has been recruited by the Institute of Chemistry University of the Philippines-Diliman for tenure track with a relatively decent repatriation package. You start dreaming about starting your own laboratory and doing novel research work that has never been done before in your home country. You feel really good about yourself, thinking that you will be contributing to national development by mentoring the cream of the crop, leading researchers in advancing science and technology in the country. And then you start working in the laboratory. For the first part of your work, you need nitric acid, a regulated chemical. You realize that it takes a ton of paperwork to procure and at least a week to acquire. Your timeline is still doable, so you feel this is just a minor setback. Then the next phase requires equipment purchasing, and this is when reality hits you, because by then you realize that it takes years to actually procure this piece. Research in the Philippines in general, and particularly in the University of Philippines (UP), is quite challenging─to put it mildly. We do not worry about the science and the problem solving, nor about funding, which is a concern for every researcher around the globe. I wish that looking for the next meal ticket were our focus, because we researchers are trained to solve problems and write proposals to secure funding. But our problem is something else entirely. Ingrained regulations─or perhaps restrictions is the better word─appear, from funding utilization to procurement to safety. Many of these rules seem designed to impede researchers from performing their tasks efficiently. Is our lack of a research culture preventing us from striking the necessary balance between regulatory compliance and functional efficiency? Is our insufficient research experience compared to other countries cause for regulations or policies that may affect research? Is our interpretation of the law keeping us from moving forward at a pace that is on par with the rest of the world? Research and innovation are established key factors in attaining sustainable national development. Clearly, an enabling, nurturing environment conducive to work is essential. We all agree that research funding require due diligence, especially government-provided funds from citizens’ tax payments. We are painfully aware that as a developing country, we need to be very conscientious about how we use money for research. The laser, hood, safety shower, and vacuum line in my laboratory could have been housing and food for our fellow Filipinos. But how would our nation benefit if the science community could not use funds at all? How would our nation gain ground in research when young researchers are demoralized because of delayed salaries due to a regulation in transferring and receiving research funds. Are not the Commission on Audit Circular No. 94-013 and related regulations meant to expedite this process? Shouldn’t we disburse allocated funds for their well-deserved purpose? What good is a Gantt chart when we set aside the first two quarters of the year for possible delays in procurement? Did we ask researchers in other parts of the globe on how long they need to wait to acquire needed equipment and supplies? My experience as a graduate student abroad showed it takes only a day to buy optical components. Compare this model to the three-month time frame to buy the same components in the Philippines. Can’t we do better? The Handbook on Philippine Government Procurement sits on my nightstand at home. The Handbook includes the revised implementation rules and regulations of the Republic Act 9184, which provides for the modernization, standardization, and regulation of government procurement activities and other purposes. It clearly allows for procuring needed research equipment from outside the country, as well as proprietary technologies from abroad through direct negotiation. Given the current situation of science and technology in the country, we need to procure most of our research equipment and supplies beyond our shores. Undoubtedly, Republic Act 9184 allows us to get the best deal in every purchase. So why do we get our equipment from a third-party supplier at three times the price? More often than not, we even get the subpar brand of equipment, which scientists worry about having in their laboratories because of its maintenance expense. Is this an appropriate use of funds? Securing overpriced, subpar equipment becomes even more alarming when it comes to safety equipment and supplies. Imagine a laminar hood that does not work up to its advertised specifications, or a safety shower that took years to arrive because of failed bidding, only to malfunction after six months. Safety is safety wherever the location in the world. A common misconception is because a developing country continuously faces difficult and challenging conditions, it is indestructible. Not so. The moment students or colleagues get involved in a laboratory accident, what matters is not that the incident occurred wherever it did but that a human life experienced pain or death. It is a problem that shatters boundaries, geographical or otherwise. Safety is not only the problem of a developed country with lots of money to spend on safety measures. It is even more critical in an economically challenged situation, where one cannot afford huge hospital bills, environmental ruin, and other worst-case scenarios. The approach in poorer regions such as the Philippines must be preventive, which means personnel must take extra care in safety planning before doing actual experiments and other laboratory activities, including procurement of safety equipment and materials that actually will work for years. Risk assessment is evidently essential for developing greener and safer approaches. Chemical safety education and training are crucial so that students and researchers are aware of the dangers of working in the laboratory. Discussing experimental plans and possible safety concerns with a student can save lives. This practice is a more affordable way to manage safety and create a safety culture in the workplace. I see the value of chemical safety and security regulations, such as Republic Act No. 9165, known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act, Republic Act No. 9516 for Implementing Rules and Regulations on Controlled Chemicals, and Republic Act 6969. These regulations seek to control toxic substances and hazardous and nuclear wastes. They exist for noble reasons: to protect the health, safety, and security of people. However, these regulations become hindrances to research when it takes more than a month for researchers to obtain nitric acid because the institution has exceeded its allotted amount, when one cannot dispose of a certain waste chemical because it is not classified, and when one can order acetone only a milliliter at a time. These roadblocks create an environment that is no longer conducive to discoveries and innovation. Such logistical burdens imply that researchers should just close shop. We might as well say that we don’t want research and technological advances in our country. Indeed, the path is arduous. We can only hope that perhaps this time, the new university administration will listen to scientists’ dilemma and will read our thick “manifesto” on research management and procurement, complete with data and proof of our experiences. Regulators did promise to meet with us. The students, however, are very bright and some are even gifted. They inspire us as faculty members to sustain the uphill climb towards a safe and productive research culture. We cannot help but to keep going, bearing in mind that the Philippines is our country (Figure 1). This is our future and our problem to solve. Figure 1. Mirror of reflections in chemical safety and research. Imee Su Martinez is a Professor at the Institute of Chemistry, University of the Philippines-Diliman. Her research interest is surface chemistry focusing on the characterization of molecules at interfaces using surface-specific nonlinear optical techniques and other classical surface techniques. She is the principal investigator of the Surface Science and Spectroscopy Laser Laboratory (S³LLAB), where the very first Second Harmonic Generation Microscope (SHG) in the country was built. She also started the Chemical Safety and Security course for graduate students at the institute. The course focuses on the ethical practice of chemistry. She is currently serving as the Vice Chairperson of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Scientific Advisory Board (OPCW SAB). This article has not yet been cited by other publications. Figure 1. Mirror of reflections in chemical safety and research.