Chemicals exposure prevention

This is a lecture provided by NJIT s H ES Department. A regulatory review is provided including an introduction to the CHP and how it applies. An overview of H ES operations is provided as link between the laboratory and overall campus community. Specific topics include common physical and health hazards, permissible exposure limits (PELs), central files location and use, and chemical exposure prevention. 

When organizations focus on the root causes of worker injuries, it is helpful to analyze the manner in which workplace fatalities occur (see Figure 1-4). Although the emphasis of this book is the prevention of chemical-related accidents, the data in Figure 1-4 show that safety programs need to include training to prevent injuries resulting from transportation, assaults, mechanical and chemical exposures, and fires and explosions. 

If I m having a bad day I sometimes still write, unless a reaction to a chemical is affecting my brain. When I can t think clearly, I can t write. And sometimes I feel so apathetic that I can t write. But I m thankful that I have the skill. I think education is so important to prevent others from getting this illness. I believe that chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, sick building syndrome and similar conditions with other names are all forms of MCS. They ll find that out with more studies. People just don t know what s wrong with them. They think they ve got asthma, depression, attention deficit disorder and a lot of other problems that can be related to chemical exposures. 

Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is part of a special section on the trends and challenges of the new environmental landscape. Another area seen as a priority is that of exposure estimations and the elucidation of the biological mechanisms of chemicals. Pollution prevention, which aims to deal with problems before they occur, is clearly becoming a salient approach to industrial ecology (Environmental Science Technology, 1996 Anastas and Lankey, 2000). 

Limited knowledge and high transaction costs prevent individuals from developing expertise about many remote risks. So entrepreneurs often fill the gaps. The ability to provide information about the risks of chemical exposure offers many profitable opportunities, as long as the exposure is a private good that varies among individuals. ... 

Inhalation and direct skin contact are the most common routes of chemical exposure. The greatest exposure risk in handling potent compounds in an analytical laboratory therefore occurs when handling solid materials due to the potential to generate and inhale airborne dust particles of the compound. Once the potent material has been placed into solution, the airborne exposure risk is reduced and solutions of potent compounds may be handled in a manner similar to other nonpotent pharmaceutical compounds, assuming good laboratory practices are followed. Caution should be taken not to aerosolize the solutions since this could create an inhalation hazard. In addition, any sample solution spills should be adequately cleaned to prevent powder deposits of the compound from forming, which could potentially become airborne after the liquid has dried. 

How quickly can you locate the most current recommended protocols for emergency treatment of toxic chemical exposures Locate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site for the most current, valid, and reliable information. 

The Chemical Manufacturers Association provides 24-hour assistance in the specifics of treating a particular chemical exposure it can be reached at (800) 424-9300. The Domestic Preparedness Chem/Bio Helpline can be reached at (410) 436-4484. Online information is available at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov/. 

US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM) (2004). Chemical exposure guidelines for deployed military personnel. USACHPPM Technical Guide 230 (v. 1.3, with January 2004 addendum). US Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD. 

To better evaluate pollution prevention options, the project attempted to assess the risks posed to individuals and populations exposed to chemical contaminants released from the refinery. An initial risk assessment analysis was performed to identify chemicals requiring further study, and to establish a baseline by which to judge potential risk reduction opportunities. Since change in exposure to benzene was used as a proxy for evaluating relative risk reductions associated with alternative pollution prevention options, the usual uncertainty associated with risk assessments was not a factor in the option analysis. The uncertainty in absolute risk assessments can arise from multiple sources the use of animal study results, difficulties with human studies, variation in individual responses to chemical exposures, the impact of differing dose rates, multiple simultaneous exposure to chem-... 

There are several general categories of OELs for airborne chemical exposure, which differ primarily on the duration of exposure considered relevant for preventing the effect of concern. The common OEL duration categories include ... 

Conclusions. This section has outlined the problem of uncertainty in preventing risks from chemical exposures and the limitations of current scientific and decision tools based on the concept of risk assessment. It has outlined a new paradigm for decision-making for sustainability embodied in the precautionary principle. This approach has several key aspects ... 

The continuing worldwide increase in respiratory disease corresponds to increases in the release of chemicals into the atmosphere. Respiratory irritation, sensitization, asthma, RADS, and lung cancer can be attributed to numerous single chemicals whose toxicological properties are, for the most part, well known. Many unexplained incidences of respiratory disease cannot be attributed to single chemical exposures, but have been shown to occur when exposures are to chemical mixtures that are composed of at least one lipophile and one hydrophile. The sources of such mixtures include diesel exhausts, tobacco smoke, carpet emissions, paint fumes, and cleaning products. Prevention of chemically induced respiratory diseases should include limiting exposures to these chemical mixtures. 

Most environmental illnesses can be prevented by limiting exposure to toxic chemicals. Appropriately labeling chemicals and chemical products of the dangers they pose can reduce environmental toxic chemical exposures. The following recommendations are made to accomplish this goal ... 

Table 3.1 Personal protective equipment to prevent chemical exposures...

The most urgent decontamination priority in the aftermath of a chemical agent release is decontamination of all people who may have been contaminated. Decontamination of a person has two objectives minimization of the health effects to that person and prevention of the spread of contamination to other people. Minimizing die health effects to the contaminated person requires that decontamination be performed within a very few minutes of exposure. Preventing the spread of contamination to others requires that decontamination be thorough. To ensure that both... 

CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). 1999. Background Document on Gulf War-Related Research for the Health Impact of Chemical Exposures During the Gulf War Research Planning Conference. Public Health Service, Bethesda, MD (as cited in Cheng et al. 2001). 

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