The Problem of Spillage

Spillage is one of the most acute problems for scientists working with chemical carcinogens. When starting an experiment with chemical carcinogens, the experimenter must foresee emergency strategies to deal with this problem. 

Under the following eight headings, Meiners et al. (79) have described a strategy to reduce the problem of spillage  

Adequate laboratory facilities include suitable protective clothing, extensive ventilation controls, ventilated safety cabinets or glove boxes and good surface finishes of walls, floors and ceilings. Such facilities are discussed in Section 2.5. 

Protective equipment should include gloves, protective suits and respirators. 

Appropriate laboratory techniques can help in limiting most spills to enclosed areas, rendering them much less hazardous and avoiding their spread. 

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The hazard involved in the transportation of carcinogens is, therefore, reduced to that of the transportation of small aliquots. Such aliquots should nevertheless be transported to the laboratory with great care, to avoid the problem of spillage in common areas, such as corridors and lifts. 

Moreover, incineration does not offer a solution to the problem of spillage and is not adapted to the treatment of the second category of wastes as defined above. Since alternative techniques that would be applicable to both of these fields are necessary, the lARC and the Division of Safety of the NIH undertook a programme for the evaluation of chemical methods of decontamination of chemical carcinogens (115). At the time of their evaluation of the bibliography on this subject, Montesano et al. (24) stressed the lack of publications and that, as will be outlined... 

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