CHEMICAL SAFETY FACT SHEET 
Northwestern University- Vice President for Research  -Chemical and Biological Safety Committee -Office for Research Safety 

Based on 29 CFR 1910.1450, Occupational exposure to hazardous chemicals in laboratories. 

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EXPOSURE 

This section describes remedies for personal exposure to chemicals by inhalation, ingestion, inoculation, or dermal or eye contact. Additional first aid information for specific chemicals is available from ORS. General procedures are as follows. 

POISON CONTROL Phone (800) 942-5969

Inhalation: Get to a source of fresh air. Call Poison Control. 

Ingestion: Call Poison Control. Never give an unconscious person anything to drink. Do not neutralize acids or bases. Do not induce vomiting of acid or bases or other solvents unless advised by Poison Control. Obtain medical treatment. 

Injection: Call Poison Control and obtain medical treatment immediately. 

Dermal Contact: Call Poison Control and obtain medical treatment. Remove the victim from the source of the contamination. Remove contaminated clothing, cutting it away if necessary. The first aid kit should contain scissors with blunted shear tips for this purpose. Immediately wash affected areas with water for at least 15 minutes. 

Eye Contact: Call Poison Control and obtain medical treatment. Wash eye(s) with water until medical help arrives. Keep the affected eye lower than the unaffected eye to prevent the spread of contamination. Sterile eyewash cups or irrigator loops are commercially available to assist in opening the eyelids without prying or traumatizing the injured eye and causing excess pain. These devices can augment washing of the central portion of the cornea and the superior cul-de-sac where particulate materials may become lodged (thus forming a solid mass).

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SPILLS 

This section describes the procedures for decontamination in the event of a minor chemical spill onto surfaces, materials, instruments, or equipment. Please address handling of spills of solids and liquids if both are stored in your lab. 

Lab workers are responsible for the clean-up of releases that are clearly incidental, i.e., do not pose a significant safety or health hazard to workers in the immediate vicinity or to the worker cleaning the release. Lab workers should not handle spills that have the potential to become an emergency within a short time. 

Incidental spills are of limited quantity, exposure potential, or toxicity. A trained response group such as ORS must handle all other spills, i.e., those requiring a definite emergency response (because of significant health or safety hazard). Lab workers shall be properly trained to recognize emergency conditions and to notify appropriate responders for situations that are beyond their own capacity. 

When a spill occurs, first cordon off the spill area to prevent inadvertently spreading the contamination over a much larger area. 

Pick up small spills of solids with paper towels wetted with water or an appropriate solvent. Solids may be swept up, if harmful aerosols will not be generated. Place wastes in yellow plastic bags and dispose of through ORS. Clean instruments or large areas contaminated with solids with an HEPA filter vacuum cleaner to prevent aerosolization of the contaminant. ORS is available to provide information and equipment or supervise clean-up. 

Wipe up small spills of liquids with paper towels. Use vermiculite or spill pillows to absorb spills. Clean up mercury as described in Chemical and Biological Safety in Laboratories. Mercury spill kits are available from ORS. Neutralize acids with calcium carbonate or appropriate base. Dispose of wastes through ORS. 

Select and wear the appropriate protective gear during clean-up. Basic gear includes lab coat, latex gloves, shoe covers, and eye protection. Thicker gloves or double layers may be necessary in some cases. ORS may provide spill equipment if none is present in the lab. Lab workers exposed to hazardous material spills are entitled to medical consultation, if desired.

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PROPER WORK AND HANDLING PRACTICES 

The following practices are considered standard for use or storage of hazardous chemicals, including carcinogens and reproductive toxins. 

A. Personnel Practices. 

  1. Eye protection is worn. 
  2. Gloves are worn for handling hazardous chemicals, including carcinogens, or reproductive toxins. 
  3. Gloves used are appropriate for the chemicals handled.
  4. Lab workers wash their hands immediately after removing gloves, after handling chemical agents, and before leaving the lab. 
  5. Lab coats are worn, fully fastened. 
  6. Lab coats and gloves are worn only in the lab. They are not taken outside the lab to lunch rooms or offices nor are they worn outdoors. 
  7. Following a significant chemical exposure to skin or clothing, lab workers are instructed to use the safety shower immediately. 
  8. Eating, drinking, smoking, gum chewing, or applying of cosmetics are prohibited in the work area. 
  9. Food storage is prohibited in the work area. 
  10. Food is stored in cabinets or refrigerators designated for such use only. 
  11. Mechanical pipetting devices are used; mouth pipetting is prohibited. 

B. Operational Practices. 

  1. All hazardous chemicals are used in a chemical fume hood. 
  2. All containers of hazardous chemicals are labeled in accordance with the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard. Each container of and/or apparatus with hazardous chemical contents in the lab shall be labeled with the following information:
  3. Chemical storage is by hazard class. Chemicals are not stored merely by alphabetical order. 
  4. Chemicals are dated on receipt and opening. 
  5. Chemicals are removed when the expiration date is exceeded, especially in the case of peroxide-formers. 
  6. Incompatible materials are physically separated. 
  7. Flammable materials in amounts exceeding 10 gallons are stored in a flammables storage cabinet. 
  8. Acids and bases are stored on low shelves or in an acid/base cabinet. Plastic-coated bottles and plastic trays are used to minimize the effects of leaks. 
  9. Shock-sensitive, detonable compounds (such as sodium azide, dry picric acid) or extremely poisonous materials (such as cyanides, osmium tetroxide, cacodylic acid, tetrodotoxin, picrotoxin, ricin) are stored in locked cabinets. DEA-regulated substances (e.g., pentobarbital, phenobarbital) are also locked in cabinets with keys accessible only to authorized lab workers. 
  10. Designated work areas are established for handling materials with a high degree of acute toxicity (such as chemicals with corrosive effects, e.g., nitric, sulfuric and hydrochloric acids, hydrofluoric acid, sodium hydroxide; or chemical asphyxiants such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide). 

C. Waste Management. 

Note: Routine acid (not including chromic acid) and base neutralization is permitted. The neutralized material may then be flushed down the drain. Treatment methods other than acid/base neutralization are prohibited unless approved by ORS prior to application. ORS will only approve referenced and documented procedures. Solid and liquid chemical wastes are disposed of through ORS.

  1. Liquid wastes are collected in plastic or glass bottles. 
  2. Solid wastes (e.g., pipette tips, gloves, lab paper) are collected in yellow bags, which are sealed. 
  3. Semi-solid material (e.g., agarose gel contaminated with ethidium bromide) is collected in bottles or pails, which are sealed. It is not collected in yellow bags. 
  4. Sharps (razors, needles, thin pipettes) are collected in puncture-resistant, leakproof containers. 
  5. Wastes are labeled with the name of the compound, amount, and concentration. The percentage of each component is indicated. 
  6. Waste pump oil is collected for disposal as hazardous waste. 
  7. Solvents and other hazardous wastes are collected and given to ORS for disposal. 
  8. Waste treatment is limited to acid/base neutralizations and methods approved by ORS (e.g., Lunn and Sansone, Decontamination of Ethidium bromide; or IARC/WHO, Deactivation of N-nitrosamides and nitrosamines). 
  9. Empty solvent bottles are rinsed 3 times with water and then vented in a chemical fume hood for at least 24 hours. After this procedure, the bottles may be recycled or thrown in regular trash. All labels must be defaced prior to disposal of the bottle. Call ORS regarding empty containers of other, nonsolvent compounds.

D. Specific Practices For Use With Carcinogens And Reproductive Toxins. 

  1. Lab surfaces are covered with plastic-backed paper or its equivalent. 
  2. Procedures involving volatile, powdered, or aerosolized carcinogens are performed in a chemical fume hood that is exhausted to the outside. 
  3. If a chemical fume hood is unavailable for carcinogen use, respirators are worn. 
  4. Designated work and storage areas are established for carcinogens and reproductive toxins. (Required by OSHA) 
  5. These areas, including chemical fume hoods and refrigerators, are labeled "Chemical Carcinogen." The outer door to the lab is also labeled "Chemical Carcinogen." (Labels are available from ORS.) 
  6. Unbreakable outer (secondary) containers are used for transportation of carcinogens. 
  7. Access procedures are used if work involves moderate or greater amounts of carcinogens or moderate to lengthy procedures. These procedures may include:
  8. Dry sweeping and mopping are prohibited if powdered carcinogens or mutagens (e.g., acrylamide and ethidium bromide) are used. 
  9. Waste containers for carcinogens are labeled as follows: "Cancer Hazard," compound name, concentration, and amount. 
  10. Solid wastes (e.g., pipette tips, gloves, lab paper) are collected in yellow bags, which are sealed and enclosed in a second yellow bag. The bags are labeled as follows: "Cancer Hazard," compound name, concentration, and amount. 

E. OSHA-Specified Cancer-Causing Agents. Reference for section B. Use Of OSHA-Specified Carcinogens, page 29 of Safety Plan Form.

alpha-Naphthylamine 
Methyl chloromethyl ether 
3,3'-Dichlorobenzidine (and its salts) 
bis-Chloromethyl ether 
beta-Naphthylamine 
Benzidine 
4-Aminodiphenyl 
Ethyleneimine 
beta-Propiolactone 
2-Acetylaminofluorene 
4-Dimethylaminoazobenzene 
N-Nitrosodimethylamine 
Vinyl chloride 
Inorganic arsenic 
Lead 
Cadmium 
Benzene 
1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane 
Acrylonitrile 
Ethylene oxide 
Formaldehyde 
Methylenedianiline 
1,3-Butadiene 
Methylene chloride 
Asbestos

F. Explanation Of Medical Surveillance Provisions. If exposure to an OSHA-specified carcinogen is measured to be above the action level or the short-term exposure limit (STEL), certain specific regulatory requirements come into play, one of which is a medical surveillance program. Medical surveillance is intended to determine whether employees are experiencing adverse health effects from exposure to contaminants. It is to be provided without cost to employees and at a reasonable time and place. The parameters of the medical examination are contaminant-specific and primarily determined by or under the supervision of a licensed physician. For example, following a worker's potential exposure to lead, the occupational physician will order biological monitoring for blood lead level, as required in the OSHA Lead Standard, but the other exam elements are left to the physician's discretion. The OSHA Formaldehyde Standard requires medical questionnaires to be completed by workers with possible formaldehyde exposure. The physician discerns who needs a physical from reviewing the questionnaires. 

Lab supervisors may wish to offer lab workers medical surveillance on a voluntary basis, regardless of airborne exposure concentration of a given contaminant. Medical surveillance can provide information as to the effectiveness of the engineering controls and work practices in preventing exposure. Please contact ORS for details concerning the types of biological monitoring available for different compounds. Northwestern University Health Service may be able to arrange annual medical evaluations for interested lab personnel to detect early warning of potential adverse health effects. 

In the event of a spill or leak of any hazardous chemical agent, OSHA-classified carcinogen or not, the OSHA Standard for Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories mandates that employers offer lab workers a postexposure medical consultation and, if needed (as decided by the physician in the consultation), a medical examination.

nnual medical evaluations for interested lab personnel to detect early warning of potential adverse health effects. 

In the event of a spill or leak of any hazardous chemical agent, OSHA-classified carcinogen or not, the OSHA Standard for Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories mandates that employers offer lab workers a postexposure medical consultation and, if needed (as decided by the physician in the consultation), a medical examination.

nnual medical evaluations for interested lab personnel to detect early warning of potential adverse health effects. 

In the event of a spill or leak of any hazardous chemical agent, OSHA-classified carcinogen or not, the OSHA Standard for Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Laboratories mandates that employers offer lab workers a postexposure medical consultation and, if needed (as decided by the physician in the consultation), a medical examination.