Special Concerns

Chemists and other scientists collectively nse thonsands of chemicals in their laboratory work, but COCs pose a particular risk to the general pnblic if they are acquired by people who wish to inflict harm. Some COCs can be used as precursors to make potentially deadly chemical agents or illicit drugs. Other chemicals have hazardous properties that can pose risks to laboratory personnel, especially if they are unaware of the properties. The United Nations has developed a system, the Globally Harmonized System for Classification and Labeling of Chemicals, for classifying chemicals according to their hazardous properties. In that system the most hazardous chemicals make up Hazard Class 1 these COCs should be kept secure from theft or diversion, and there are laboratory security measures that can help to prevent such diversions. 

Security begins with the individual, and prudent security practices for laboratories should include a system that limits access to authorized personnel who have a need to work in the laboratory. Authorized personnel should be approved to work in a particular area and have access and authority to use COCs by someone in the institution. Authorized personnel should be given access through keys or card keys and may have identification badges. The issuance of keys or card keys should be subject to an established process in which laboratory personnel sign for keys and turn them in when they leave the program. Keys should be of a type that is not readily duplicated. 

Physical security is an important part of any security program. When given proper instructions and training, security guards can play a key role in preventing access to areas where COCs are used or stored. Door locks, of either the normal key type or the more expensive electronic type, are necessary where COCs are being used or stored. Other physical security measures include locked cabinets, locked storage areas, locked drawers, and perhaps alarm systems. Any extraordinary laboratory security measures should be commensurate with the potential risks and should be imposed in a manner that does not hamper research or safety um-easonably. 

The effectiveness of a security program is closely related to the expectations established by management. All laboratory personnel should be encouraged to question the presence of unfamiliar people in laboratories and to report suspicious activity immediately. Locking laboratory doors when laboratories are unoccupied should become routine. COCs that are not being used should be secured. Laboratory managers should establish a policy that prohibits all unauthorized use of laboratory materials and facilities, and that violations will be subject to a penalty. 

A training program in laboratory security should set out the expectations of management and the need to maintain a safe and secure laboratory environment. Training should be conducted periodically and especially for new personnel. Laboratories should be inspected routinely for compliance with security measures. Personnel working in laboratories should follow all established security procedures, and there should be a protocol for reporting security breaches or security concerns. 

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The effluent standards require two levels of treatment best practicable control technology (BPCT) and best available control technology (BACT). New standards covering additional industries are stiU being issued. Of special concern to the chemical industry are the following Hsted categories ... 

National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Under the Clean Air Act, six criterion pollutants, ie, pollutants of special concern, have been estabhshed by the EPA sulfur oxides (SO ), particulates, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO ), o2one (photochemical oxidants), and lead. National Ambient Air QuaUty Standards (NAAQS) were developed by EPA based on threshold levels of air pollution below which no adverse effects could be experienced on human health or the environment. 

In general, DOT safety regulations fall into two categories. The first pertains to qualifications and hours of service of carrier employees and the safety of transport operations and equipment. The second, of special concern to the chemical industry, pertains to the transportation of hazardous materials and related commodities. 

Metals and metalloids that form alkyl compounds, eg, methylmercury and methylarsenic acid, tributjltin, deserve special concern because these compounds are volatile and accumulate in cells they are poisonous to the central nervous system of higher organisms. Because methylmercury or other metal alkyls may be produced at a rate faster than it is degraded by other organisms, it may accumulate in higher organisms such as fish. Hg species are also reduced to elementary Hg which is soluble in water but lost by volatilization to the atmosphere (40). 

Anesthetics. Tricaine is the only currendy registered anesthetic and requites a 21-day withdrawal time (9,11). The withdrawal time for MS-222 is of special concern to PDA when the broodfishes of salmon or other species are taken immediately after spawning for pet or human food. Both carbon dioxide and sodium bicarbonate [144-55-8] have also been used as anesthetics however, both chemicals are difficult to use with consistent results and involve long induction and recovery periods (9). 

Preflmdizing has the advantage of reducing the volume of conveying air needed consequently, less power is required. The characteristics of the rest of this system are similar to those of regular pressure-or vacuum-type conveyors. Of special concern is the tendency of material to stick to and build up on surfaces of the system compo-... 

When a liquid or solid substance is emitted to the air as particulate matter, its properties and effects may be changed. As a substance is broken up into smaller and smaller particles, more of its surface area is exposed to the air. Under these circumstances, the substance, whatever its chemical composition, tends to combine physically or chemically with other particles or gases in the atmosphere. The resulting combinations are frequently unpredictable. Very small aerosol particles (from 0.001 to 0.1 Im) can act as condensation nuclei to facilitate the condensation of water vapor, thus promoting the formation of fog and ground mist. Particles less than 2 or 3 [Lm in size (about half by weight of the particles suspended in urban air) can penetrate the mucous membrane and attract and convey harmful chemicals such as sulfur dioxide. In order to address the special concerns related to the effects of very fine, iuhalable particulates, EPA replaced its ambient air standards for total suspended particulates (TSP) with standards for particlute matter less than 10 [Lm in size (PM, ). 

A toller may be operating the first scale-up of a process that has previously only been produced in pilot quantities. This pre-startup situation benefits when special concerns related to a scale-up are monitored. 

People are less willing to threaten the safety of younger people. School-age youngsters and babies are particularly important because they are viewed as the endowment of our future. Older people are also a special concern if they are not able to protect themselves (e.g., evacuate the area) without assistance. 

Overall a customer needs to know under what circumstances it is best to use either the electron-beam techniques of EDS and WDS or the X-ray technique of XRF for an analysis problem. If both are equally available, the choice usually resides in whether high spatial resolution is needed, as would be obtained only with electron-beam techniques. If liquids are to be analyzed, the only viable choice is XRF. If one s choice is to use electron-beam methods, the further decision between EDS and WDS is usually one of operator preference. That is, to commence study on a totally new sample most electron-beam operators will run an EDS spectrum first. If there are no serious peak overlap problems, then EDS may be sufficient. If there is peak overlap or if maximum sensitivity is desired, then WDS is usually preferred. Factored into all of this must be the beam sensitivity of the sample, since for WDS analysis the beam current required is lO-lOOx greater than for EDS. This is of special concern in the analysis of polymer materials. 

Investigate the effect of the pressure surge on adjacent equipment per the 1997 edition of API RP-521. The design pressure of adjacent equipment and piping may be exceeded during a tube rupture. This is of special concern in cooling water networks. Dynamic simulation can assess the impact of a tube rupture on adjacent equipment and identify corrective measures. 

The fraction 0.1% is chosen to be so low that individuals living near a nuclear plant should have no special concern because of the closeness. Uncertainties in the analysis of risk are not caused by the "quantitative methodology" but are highlighted by it. Uncertainty reduction will be achieved by methodological improvements mean values should be calculated. As a guideline for rcinilatory implementation, the following is recommended ... 

Tobacco and its alkaloids have long ceased to have any therapeutic importance, but their extensive use as insecticides and the demand for nicotine for the manufacture of nicotinic acid have stimulated interest in processes of extraction and methods of estimation. On the latter subject there is a voluminous literature, of which critical resumes have been published by various authors.Recent work on this subject has been specially concerned with (1) the development of miero- and semi-miero-methods suitable for estimating nieotine in tobacco smoke and the distribution of nieotine on sprayed garden produce, in treated soils and in tobaeeo leaves,(2) the study of conditions necessary to ensure satisfactory results in using particular processes, " and (3) methods of separation and estimation of nicotine, nomicotine and anabasine in mixtures of these bases. ) In the United States and in Russia considerable interest is being shown in the cultivation of types of tobacco rich in nicotine, in finding new industrial uses for tobacco and its alkaloids, and in possible by-products from tobacco plants such as citric and malic acids, i " Surveys of information on tobacco alkaloids have been published by Jackson, i Marion and Spath and Kuffner. ... 

Special pieces of downhole equipment and special concerns must be considered during downhole air (or gas) drilling operations. 

The third aspect, the stability range of solid electrolytes, is of special concern for alkaline-ion conductors since only a few compounds show thermodynamic stability with, e.g., elemental lithium. Designing solid electrolytes by considering thermodynamic stability did lead to very interesting compounds and the discovery of promising new solid electrolytes such as the lithium nitride halides [27]. However, since solid-state reactions may proceed very slowly at low temperature, metasta-... 

On occasion, it may be necessary to postpone the regular immunization schedule, particularly for children. This is of special concern to parents. The decision to delay immunization because of illness or for other reasons must be discussed with the primary health care provider. However, the decision to administer or delay vaccination because of febrile illness (illness causing an elevated temperature) depends on the severity of the symptoms and the specific disorder. In general, all vaccines can be administered to those with minor illness, such as a cold virus and to those with a low-grade fever. However, moderate or severe febrile illness is a contraindication. hi instances of moderate or severe febrile illness, vaccination is done as soon as the acute phase of... 

For threatened or endangered species, or species of special concern, it is often necessary to analyze specimens that have died of causes not directly attributable to mercury. Bird eggs that have been abandoned or flooded out may be used for analyses. However, if the eggs were pushed out of the nest by parents that are incnbating the rest of the clntch, the reason for rejection of the egg must be considered in order to properly interpret mercury residue levels. Similarly, birds killed by predators may be suitable for analysis, but the internal tissues of sick or emaciated birds should not be nsed for residue analysis because in some studies, error has resulted from remobilization of mercury (Ensor etal. 1992 Sundlof etal. 1994). 

When pharmaceuticals are administered to feed animals there is a special concern about the possible accumulation of drug residues in the animals tissues. Thus, in these bioequivalency studies it may be appropriate to carefully monitor parameters that define possible tissue accumulation [45]. 

Table I is a list of physical properties of materials which were of special concern, along with target values felt to indicate useful levels in a particular application. From the beginning it was predicted that one of the biggest problems would be to balance Properties A and E, usually considered mutually exclusive. It was also assumed that Properties B and E were highly correlated. Statistically designed experiments and data analysis were chosen to determine most efficiently the formulations which would give the best combination of all the target properties.

Among pharmaceuticals, antibiotics have become of special concern in recent years. The reason is that these substances are continuously being introduced into the environment and may spread and maintain bacterial resistance in the different compartments. Sulfonamides are very commonly used antimicrobials in humans but mainly in veterinary medicine, due to their broad spectrum of activity and low cost, being the second most widely used veterinary antibiotic in the EU. Their occurrence has been reported in all kinds of water matrices their high excretion rates (after their intake by humans of livestock) and high water solubility make them very ubiquitous and persistent pollutants in the environment. 

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