Laboratory Safety Incidents: Chemical Exposures and Burns
Chemical Burns (top)
Hydrofluoric Acid
Fatal Unintentional
Occupational Poisonings by Hydrofluroic Acid in the US, American
Journal of Industrial Medicine 40: 215-220 (2001)
Monash University, Hazard Alert:
Recent Hydrofluoric Acid Fatality in Perth
Hydrofluoric Acid Burn from Trifluoracetic
Acid (top)
A laboratory worker picked up a container of trifluoroacetic acid
with her ungloved hand to move it. She did not notice that there was a small amount of
residue on the glass. Several hours later, she experienced pain in the palm of her hand
and the inside aspect of her thumb. The result was a serious burn that required skin
grafting. She was not aware that this type of burn could result from handling
trifluoracetic acid.
Trifluoracetic acid can form hydrofluoric acid upon contact with moisture. Hydrofluoric
acid can cause deep burns that may not be painful for hours.
-Know the hazards of the chemicals involved before handling them.
-Always assume containers are contaminated and wear appropriate gloves when handling
chemical containers.
-Keep a hydrofluoric acid burn kit in the laboratory when working with hydrofluoric acid
or trifluoracetic acid.
Case
Reports From TheLiterature, IPCS Inchem, Hydrogen
Fluoride Page (Scroll down to Section 11.1) (top)
Wrong Gloves Lead to an Acid Burn (top)
A Post-Doctorate Fellow was working with concentrated
Sulfuric Acid. She splashed some of the acid onto her latex gloves and it quickly burned a
hole through the gloves and caused a small second-degree burn. She removed her gloves and
ran her hand under water for fifteen minutes.
- Clearly the wrong gloves were used in this case. A better choice
of gloves would be those made out of Polyethylene or Butyl Rubber.
When setting up an experiment or handling concentrated chemicals,
thoroughly investigate the properties of the materials involved. This is essential to
determining the appropriate personal protective equipment. There has not been a glove made
that will protect you against all chemicals. In fact, ALL glove materials will be degraded
by ALL chemicals... it is just a question of time. If you are unsure, ask the Safety
Office, your supervisor or consult a glove chart.
- If using disposable gloves and you have splashed something on to
them, replace them immediately. This will minimize exposures through pinholes or
degradation. If you are using non-disposable gloves, clean and rinse them thoroughly as
appropriate or before switching to another pair.
Phenol/chloroform Burn While Carrying
Chemicals Incorrectly
(top)
A laboratory worker received burns to the face and chest while
carrying chemicals from one area of the laboratory to another. The worker placed unsealed
centrifuge tubes filled with phenol-chloroform into a Styrofoam centrifuge tube shipping
container. The Styrofoam broke and the phenol-chloroform splashed onto the worker’s
face and dripped down the chest. The worker immediately flushed the area with a drench
hose, but still suffered from second-degree burns to the face, chest and abdomen.
Fortunately, the worker was wearing chemical splash goggles and did not receive burns to
the eyes.
- Appropriate eye and face protection helped to minimize the
chemical burn.
-Wear a closed lab coat when working with hazardous materials.
-Use a plastic centrifuge rack instead of a Styrofoam packing
container, particularly when transporting chemicals.
Failure to Remove Contaminated Clothing
Exacerbates Chemical Burns (top)
There have been several incidents, usually involving phenol, where
laboratory workers spilled a chemical on his or her pants. In all cases, the worker
bypassed the safety shower and entered a restroom to remove the pants and rinse the leg.
In each case,
the worker put the contaminated pants back on and either went home to rinse further or
went to the University Health Center. All resulted in second degree burns that could
have been minimized by taking off the contaminated clothing and rinsing immediately
using a safety shower or drench hose.
- Remove contaminated clothing while rinsing.
-Wear appropriate personal protective equipment, including a closed lab coat when working
with hazardous materials.
-Do not put contaminated clothing back on.
-Wash clothing separately or discard. Many chemicals can permeate leather. Discard any
contaminated leather items.
Mixing Incompatible Wastes (top)
A laboratory worker was cleaning out chemicals from an old
refrigerator. Wearing gloves, chemical splash goggles and a lab coat (over shorts), the
worker was segregating the chemicals into several different waste containers. He found a
small bottle of iodine monochloride, and not knowing the physical properties of the
chemical, began to pour it into a jar with other liquid wastes. The waste container
suddenly began fuming vigorously, startling the worker and causing the worker to drop the
bottle of iodine monochloride. Several drops of the chemical splashed onto the worker's
leg, causing a second degree burn.
The iodine monochloride reacted with a chemical in the waste container. The worker was
fortunate that the reaction did not produce significant amounts of hazardous vapors. Had
the worker been wearing long pants, the burn might have been avoided.
-Never mix chemicals unless you are certain of the consequences and
are prepared to control the hazard.
-Do not mix incompatible waste chemicals together.
-Know the hazards of each chemical before working with it.
-Wear pants and a closed lab coat when working with hazardous materials
Eye Exposures (top)
Chemical Splash to the Eyes In Spite of Goggles
An undergraduate student was working on an experiment in a hood.
When she removed the reflux condenser, the solution bumped...splashing her face and
chest. In spite of the fact that the student was wearing goggles, the solution managed to
go past the seal and into her eyes. The Teaching Assistant got her to a safety shower and
began flushing when he evacuated the lab and got assistance from another instructor (and
had someone call 911). The Teaching Assistant assisted in removing the contaminated
clothing. The student was taken to the Emergency room and later was evaluated by her own
physician and optometrist to show no permanent damage.
What can be done to prevent this from occuring again?
-Fume hood sashes need to be as far down as possible while the
student is working. The sashes should be in the "up" position only when setting
up an experiment or when tearing it down. The sash acts as a primary barrier against
splashes and explosions. Teaching Assistants and Lab Supervisors should remind their
students and other lab personnel to pull the sash down when working.
Sash breaks that prevent the sash from being accidentally
raised more than the desired height are recommended.
Researcher Blinded in One Eye from Cryotube
Explosion
Key Instruction Points:
1. Consider shielding for operations involving
vacuum or pressurization.
2. Be aware of the potential for
pressurization when
working with cryogenic liquids.
3. Use appropriate personal protective
equipment.
A University of X investigator was blinded in one eye when a
cryotube exploded while being thawed. The probable cause was the rapid expansion of
liquid nitrogen that had entered the tube through a small crack during storage.
Suitable personal protective equipment for thawing cryotubes and handling cryogenic
liquids consists of a face shield, heavy gloves, a buttoned lab coat and pants or a long
skirt. Cryotubes should be kept in a heavy, walled container or behind a safety
shield while warming.
Improper Use of Eyewash Results In Trip To Emergency Room.
While
using a fluorescent stain in the cytogenetics lab, I felt something splash up into my eye.
I was not wearing safety goggles or glasses. I went to the nearest sink that had an
eyewash (mounted into the counter with a handle and hose). I flushed-out my eye for a
minute to remove whatever had splashed into it.
My
eyes remained irritated so I flushed them out again at the eyewash station. Soon
afterwards, my eyes began to swell shut. I walked over to the emergency room to be seen by
the doctors. They were unable to pinpoint the cause, but thought I was having an allergic
reaction to some irritant exposure to my eyes. I was given antihistamines and was OK after
a few hours.
A few
days later, I noticed someone using the same eyewash to clean glassware and stainless
steel trays. The eyewash was draped over into the sink and sitting in a cleaning solution.
So the water from the eyewash that I was using to flush out my eyes was most likely
contaminated with chemicals. This practice was discontinued immediately and the eyewash
was cleaned and put onto a routine maintenance schedule that included regular flushes.
Mercury Compounds (top)
Dimethylmercury
Skin Exposure Fatality, a collection of articles posted by Colgate University
Solvent Exposures (top)
Overpressurization of Gel Column
Causes Chemical Splash to Eyes and Skin (top)
A laboratory worker was pouring chloroform though a gel column
inside a fume hood. Due to incorrect equipment configuration, pressure built up in the
column and caused the glassware at the top of the column to break, spraying chloroform out
of the hood,
onto the worker’s face, eyes and clothing.
The laboratory worker was wearing safety glasses, rather than chemical splash goggles. The
chloroform seeped through the opening at the top of the glasses and burned both eyes. The
lens of the safety glasses were partially dissolved by the chloroform. The worker did use
a safety shower immediately, but was too embarrassed to remove his sweater in the presence
of other laboratory workers. As a result, he suffered from second degree burns on both
arms where the chloroform soaked through the sweater.
The set-up of the apparatus was changed to allow the hood of the sash to be lowered when
the chloroform is being poured, providing an additional shield between the worker and the
chemical and lowering the potential spray below eye level.
-Keep hazardous materials that have the potential for splash below
eye level.
-Use care when working with pressure or vacuum to avoid pressurizing containers.
-Wear a closed lab coat, chemical splash goggles and, if necessary, a face shield when
there is a possibility of a significant chemical splash.
-Remove contaminated clothing while rinsing.
-Keep the hood sash lowered and/or use shielding when working with pressurized containers.
Revision Date: 2/2/2004
url: http://www2.umdnj.edu/eohssweb/aiha/accidents/chemicalexposure.htm
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