Chemical safety in laboratories: Tissue preservation

Chemical safety is important for
laboratories and research facilities.

When it comes to laboratories and chemical safety, companies, managers and workers have to be extra vigilant to avoid health and safety problems.

Histology and pathology technicians are exposed to numerous laboratory hazards during the course of a day.

That is why laboratory safety is imperative; technicians must know and adhere to health and safety procedures that often include:

• Emergency procedures
• Disease reporting
• Work safety instructions for equipment and work stations
• Existing hazards and the controls in place to address them
• Workers' rights under occupational health and safety guidelines
• Laboratory safety and protective equipment needed to perform work safely

What do histology laboratories do?

Histology is the backbone of medicine; it involves the study of tissue. Histological stains are used to magnify microscopic structures to better study the tissue of animals and plants.

Fixation, dehydration, sectioning and staining are all part of a histology technician's tissue processing procedure, and it involves contact with highly toxic chemicals.


Chemicals used for fixation

Fixation is about tissue preservation. To maintain cell structure, chemicals like formalin (formaldehyde) are used for light microscopy. For electron microscopy, technicians need chemicals like glutaraldehyde, osmium tetroxide and uranyl acetate to make small structures visible.

Formaldehyde
Exposure to formaldehyde can cause irritation to the nose, throat and eyes, and it can also lead to coughing, nausea, wheezing. Studies have linked formaldehyde to cancer, including leukemia in humans.

Glutaraldehyde
Glutaraldehyde inhalation can cause coughing, choking, shortness of breath, nausea and headache. Exposure to this chemical has been linked to lung and respiratory tract damage as well as asthma.

Osmium tetroxide
This chemical is toxic and emits fumes even in its solid form. Exposure can lead to headache, wheezing, pulmonary edema and in extreme cases, death. Long-term low level exposure can cause insomnia larynx and pharynx damage. The chemical has also been linked to kidney damage.

Uranyl acetate
Inhaling this chemical can cause headaches, irritation of the upper respiratory tract and mucous membranes as well as kidney and liver damage. This chemical has also been classified as a carcinogen.


Air cleaners with activated carbon remove dangerous chemicals

Electrocorp specializes in customized air quality solutions and versatile units that effectively remove a wide range of serious contaminants to maintain safe, healthy and comfortable working environments that support scientific investigation.

Electrocorp's air filtration systems for laboratories include the RSU Series, the RAP Series, the I-6500 and the 6000 Series. Some units can be attached to the fume hood for extra protection against airborne chemicals.

Contact us to find the right indoor air quality solution for your laboratory or healthcare environment.


Related posts:

• I-6500 Series: Superior air cleaning for polluted environments
• RSU Series: Versatile air purifiers for odor removal
• Hospital workers and patients breathing poisoned air
• Indoor air concerns in the healthcare industry
• Health and safety lawsuits: US drug firm pleads guilty in lab worker's death
• Air purifiers for xylene and formalin exposure

   

Worker blames chemical exposure for rare lung disease, wins lawsuit

Workers' chemical exposure can lead to
expensive lawsuits and settlements.

A Baltimore County man who says he contracted a rare lung disease from breathing a butter flavoring chemical at the workplace has been awarded $814,500, the Baltimore Sun reports.

The judgment was against Polarome International Inc., a New Jersey-based chemical manufacturer and distributor.

The former plant worker, Brian Hallock, was originally awarded $5.4 million by a jury, but a judge reduced the amount because of a cap on non-economic damages, lawyers explained. They plan to appeal the cap.

Hallock was diagnosed with the rare lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans in 2006, also known as "popcorn lung" after years of breathing the chemical diacetyl, a substance used to make food taste buttery.

Now in his 50s, he has severely depleted lung capacity and may need to retire soon.

This is not the first case involving diacetyl. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health already established a link between diacetyl and the lung disease, according to Dr. David Weissman, director of the division of respiratory disease studies, and the first cases of the disease were noted more than a decade ago.

Scientists discovered that diacetyl was a threat in large doses, whether it was made chemically or naturally by fermenting bacteria.

Many suppliers turned to substitutes, but they, too, may cause disease, Weissman said. The evolving information has meant no federal regulations on use, though Weissman said there is a team working on recommendations and they are expected in the fall.

Source: Baltimore Sun

What is diacetyl?

Diacetyl is a natural byproduct of fermentation and can also be manufactured. It is often used in certain foods such as margarine or microwaved popcorn to impart a buttery flavor.

The United States National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has suggested that diacetyl, when used in artificial butter flavoring (as used in many consumer foods), may be hazardous to workers when heated and inhaled over a long period.

The workers can get diacetyl-induced bronchiolitis obliterans, commonly called popcorn workers lung, which may require a lung transplant.

There have been a number of health and safety lawsuits involving long-term exposure to diacetyl, and some workers have been awarded millions of dollars because they have suffered permanent lung damage.


Keep ambient air in plants and manufacturing sites clean with industrial-strength air filtration systems

Activated carbon is the safest and most
effective way to remove airborne chemicals.

Electrocorp Air Filtration Systems has designed efficient and cost-effective air cleaners for chemical processing plants and odor and chemical control for manufacturing sites of all sizes.

The air purifiers remove the widest range of chemicals, gases and odors from the air with the largest activated carbon filters in the industry, and they also filter out particles and pathogens with high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters.

Contact one of our air quality experts for more information on the right air purification system for your work environment at 1-866-667-0297 or by e-mail at info@electrocorp.net.
 

Working near fields sprayed with pesticides increases risk of Parkinson’s disease, researchers say

Working near fields sprayed with
pesticides can be a health risk.

First they said living close to fields sprayed with two common pesticides could increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

Now a follow-up study shows that working nearby increases the risk substantially, especially if exposure involves a combination of pesticides, and that the risk also includes a third commonly used pesticides.

The chemicals in question are the fungicide maneb and the herbicide paraquat as well as the pesticide ziram.


What are pesticides?

Chemical pesticides are often used on fields and grass to prevent or exterminate pests.

But while they may protect crops from insect or other infestation, many of these pesticides have been shown to be toxic to humans as well.

According to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, 10 of the 12 most dangerous and persistent organic chemicals are pesticides.

Pesticides and health: Side effects of pesticides

Exposure to pesticides can lead to immediate or delayed health effects, including irritation of the skin and eyes.

Some pesticides have also been linked to nervous system disorders, reproductive challenges and cancer.

Pesticide use can contaminate non-target species, air, water and soil and therefore expose people in many ways.


Working near pesticides

The new study looked at where people, including teachers, firefighters and clerks who worked near, but not in, the fields.

The study showed that the combined exposure to ziram, maneb and paraquat near any workplace increased the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) threefold, while combined exposure to ziram and paraquat alone was associated with an 80 percent increase in risk.

"Our estimates of risk for ambient exposure in the workplaces were actually greater than for exposure at residences," said Dr. Beate Ritz, senior author and a professor of epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health.

"And, of course, people who both live and work near these fields experience the greatest PD risk. These workplace results give us independent confirmation of our earlier work that focused only on residences, and of the damage these chemicals are doing."

In addition, Ritz noted, this is the first study that provides strong evidence in humans that the combination of the three chemicals confers a greater risk of Parkinson's than exposure to the individual chemicals alone.

Because these pesticides affect different mechanisms leading to cell death, they may act together to increase the risk of developing the disorder: Those exposed to all three experienced the greatest increase in risk.

The study has been published in the online edition of the European Journal of Epidemiology.

Source: Science Daily
  

Provide cleaner air in the workplace

Electrocorp cleans the air in all types of industrial and commercial applications, including offices and manufacturing plants.

All of our air filtration systems feature a large amount of activated carbon to filter out airborne chemicals, gases, fumes and odors as well as superior particle filters to protect employees from particles, mold spores and dust.

Contact one of our air quality experts to find the right solution for your workplace.
 

Air Rhino: The most versatile and innovative air cleaner of its class

Air Rhino: Powerful particle filtration
and/or chemical, gas and odor removal.

Electrocorp’s Air Rhino is the most versatile air filtration system of its kind, with a small ecological footprint.

This innovative machine has interchangeable carbon and HEPA filters, so it can easily convert from a rugged chemical, gas and odor scrubber to a powerful particulate air cleaner right on site. 

The Air Rhino is capable of creating a negative air environment, and it is equipped with an industrious deep-bed carbon filter and extended filter depth, which leads to a longer dwell time for contaminated air and allows for quicker and more thorough adsorption of gaseous pollutants.

Electrocorp's Air Rhino
(upright)

The Air Rhino also features an advanced medical-grade HEPA filter to trap 99.97% of particles, and can accommodate an ultraviolet light to remove bacteria and other airborne pathogens.

The operator-friendly air purification system comes with particle pre-filters to prevent clogging as well as a pressure switch that tells you when the filters are saturated. 

The meticulous air scrubber can be used in stationary applications for long-term air cleaning, or on job sites for remediation projects and environmental clean-ups. As well, it can be used as a portable, stand-alone unit, or it can be attached to the ceiling.

It is a great air filtration system for heavy-dust environments, industrial odor control, construction and restoration, mold and asbestos remediation sites, auto body shops and garages, manufacturing plants and warehouses, among other applications.

Contact us for more information and follow us on Twitter. For technical specifications, please select the Air Rhino Series on the Electrocorp website.