Laboratory safety carcinogenic substances

Safety Profiles are text summaries of the reported hazards of the entry. The word experimental indicates that the reported effects resulted from a controlled exposure of laboratory animals to the substance. Toxic effects reported include carcinogenic, reproductive, acute lethal, and human nonlethal effects, skin and eye irritation, and positive mutation study results. 

For mutagenic activity, the risk of carcinogens and mutagens compounds which might be presented in the oil was also evaluated according to the international guidelines (OECD 471 and commission directive N° B13/14). Tests have been conducted at the CIT (International Center of Toxicity) Safety and Health Research Laboratories, 27005 Evreux, France. This test evaluates the potential of the Saro essential oil to induce reverse mutation in Salmonella typhimurium, knowing that the bacterial reverse test is able to identify substances that cause point mutations, by affections of DNA base-pairs (19, 20). Five strains of S. typhimurium TA 1535, TA 1537, TA 98 TA 100 and TA 102 were supplied for the study by B.N. Ames Laboratory (University of California, Berkeley or Oakland Research Institute, USA). 

Laboratory persoimel work in a potentially extremely hazardous and unforgiving environment. The substances with which they work may be toxic, ffanunable, explosive, carcinogenic, pathogenic, or radioactive, to mention only a few unpleasant possibilities. The hazards may cause an immediate or acute reaction, or the effects may be delayed for several years. A worker may be lulled into a false sense of security because of the seeming safety of a material according to current knowledge, but eventually evidence may develop that continued exposure may cause uneiqiected or cumulative and irreversible effects. 

Select appropriate procedures to minimize exposure. Use the "basic prudent practices for handling chemicals," which are discussed in Chapter 5, section 5.C, for all work with chemicals in the laboratory. In addition, determine whether any of the chemicals to be handled in the planned experiment meet the definition of a particularly hazardous substance due to high acute toxicity, carcinogenicity, and/ or reproductive toxicity. If so, consider the total amount of the substance that will be used, the expected frequency of use, the chemical s routes of exposure, and the circumstances of its use in the proposed experiment. As discussed in this chapter, use this information to determine whether it is appropriate to apply the additional procedures for work with highly toxic substances and whether additional consultation with safety professionals is warranted (see Chapter 5, section 5.D). 

The preparation and use of Laboratory Chemical Safety Summaries as described here are consistent with the Chemical Hygiene Plans required for every laboratory under the OSHA Laboratory Standard. Thus, the identification of substances that meet the OSHA criteria for "particularly hazardous substances" or "select carcinogens" should be facilitated by the use of these summaries. 

Develop SOPs relevant to safety and health considerations to be followed when laboratory work involves the use of hazardous chemicals. This is especially the case if your lab operations include the routine use of select carcinogens, reproductive toxins, and substances of acute toxicity. SOPs can function as stand-alone documents or supplemental information included as part of research notebooks, experiment documentation, or research proposals. The key idea with laboratories having SOPs is to ensure a process is in place so that an experiment is well thought out and includes and addresses relevant health and safety issues. 

In the introduction to Laboratory Use of Chemical Carcinogens (25), the guidelines are defined as to apply to the use of chemical substances for which standards have been promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) in 29 CFR 1910.1001-1045, chemical substances for which OSHA promulgates standards in the future in accordance with 29 CFR part 1990, and other chemical substances which, in the judgement of the NIH Occupational Safety and Health Committee, pose a carcinogenic risk to laboratory personnel (34-36). 

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