The Basics of Chemical

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The Basics of Chemical Biological Safety for
Radiation Safety Professionals

• Robert Emery, DrPH, CHP, CIH, CSP, RBP, CHMM,
  CPP, ARM
• Vice President for Safety, Health, Environment,
  Risk Management Quality Assurance
• The University of Texas Health Science Center at
  Houston
• Associate Professor of Occupational Health
• The University of Texas School of Public Health

2
Public Health Significance Chemicals

• Over 30 million American workers are exposed to
  hazardous chemicals in their workplaces. That is
  equivalent to 1 out 5 workers http//www.osha.gov
  /dsg/hazcom/finalmsdsreport.html
• Approximately 20,000 cancer deaths and 40,000 new
  cases of cancer each year in the U.S. are
  attributable to occupational exposure -
  http//www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/cancer/
• In 2001, out of 14,500 reported cases of
  occupational respiratory conditions due to toxic
  agents, 2,800 (19) of them were reported from
  Health Services Industry. - http//www2a.cdc.gov/d
  rds/WorldReportData/FigureTableDetails.asp?FigureT
  ableID959GroupRefNumberT11-03

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Public Health Significance Bloodborne Biological
Agents

• Approximately 1,000 accidental needlesticks occur
  per day nationwide.
• The probability of contracting HBV from a
  needlestick injury is anywhere between 22 and 40
  percent.
• HBV can survive a week outside a living organism.
  
• http//www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-62450723.html
• http//www.traveldoc.com/download/needlestick.pdf

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Industrial Hygiene

• The art and science devoted to the anticipation,
  recognition, evaluation and control of all
  workplace environmental factors which may cause
  sickness, impaired health or significant
  discomfort among workers or the citizens of the
  community.

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Elements of a Chemical Safety Program

• Hazard Communication
• 29 CFR 1910.1200
• Laboratory Standard
• 29 CFR 1910.1450
• Occupational exposure monitoring
• 29 CFR 1910.1000
• Respiratory Protection
• 29 CFR 1910.134
• PPE
• 29 CFR 1910.132
• Emergency spill preparation and response
• 29 CFR 1910.120

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Hazard Communication / Laboratory Standard

• Performance standards
• Development and implementation of Chemical
  Hygiene Plan
• Primary emphasis on administrative controls to
  protect workers
• Readily accessible

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Chemical Hygiene Plan

• Plan should include
• Responsibilities
• Standard Operating Procedures
• Plans for Controlling Chemical Exposures
• Engineering Controls
• Medical Consultation and Review
• Chemical Hygiene Officer
• Special Provisions for Hazardous Chemical Use

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Who Should Be Trained and When?

• Any employee that is assigned to a work area
  where hazardous chemicals are present.
• At the time of an employees initial assignment
• Prior to assignments involving new exposure
  situations
• Refresher information and training
• ...shall be determined by the employer.

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What Must be Included?

• The contents and appendices of the standard
• The location, availability, and details of the
  written Chemical Hygiene Plan
• The PELs for OSHA regulated substances or OELs
  for other hazardous chemicals
• Signs and symptoms associated with exposure
• Location and availability of reference material
  on the hazards, safe handling, storage, and
  disposal
• Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) availability
  and location
• Methods to detect presence or release of
  hazardous chemicals

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Material Safety Data Sheets

• Standard 16 section ANSI format
• Provided by manufacturers and distributors
• Required by 29 CFR 1910.1200(g)
• Contains specific information of chemical
  properties, hazards, storage, ...etc.
• Periodically updated by manufacturer

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Dose-Response Relationships

• Paracelsus (1493-1541) All substances are
  poisons there is none which is not a poison.
  The right dose differentiates a poison.

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Evaluation of Toxicity

• Lethal dose 50 or LD50 usually in mg/kg
• Lethal concentration 50 or LC50 usually in ppm
  or mg/L or mg/m3
• Lowest concentration to cause death in test
  animals LDlo and LClo
• The lower these values the more toxic the chemical

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Risk Assessment for Hazardous Chemicals

• Identify chemicals and how used
• Consult sources of information
• Evaluate toxicity type
• Consider routes of exposure
• Evaluate quantitative toxicity information
• Decide how to minimize exposure
• Prepare for possible accidents/emergencies

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Working with Hazardous Chemicals

• Hazards are not always known
• New chemicals are often generated
• Be prepared for accidents
• Limit access to areas with chemicals
• Wash hands before leaving work area
• Assume mixtures are more toxic than individual
  components

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Minimize Chemical Exposures

• Wear eye protection glasses, goggles, face
  shields
• Use laboratory hoods
• Be careful when handling syringes filled with
  chemicals
• Wear appropriate gloves
• Keep body covered pants, lab coat, appropriate
  shoes
• Use respiratory protection as a last resort

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Evaluation

• Instrumentation
• Air Sampling
• Active
• Passive
• Direct reading
• Ventilation
• Noise

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Sampling Strategy

• Determine what types of exposure hazards are
  present
• Assess the sources and degree of exposure to each
  significant hazard
• Select methods and equipment, perform
  calibrations and assure that adequate quality
  control exists
• Evaluate and interpret the sampling data
• Apply results to minimize the hazards that might
  be present

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Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)

• Published by OSHA
• Legally enforceable
• Originally extracted from the 1968 TLVs
• Typically slow to change

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Threshold Limit Value(TLV)

• Published annually by ACGIH
• Threshold Limit Value-Time Weighted Average
  (TLV-TWA)
• Time weighted concentration for a conventional
  8-hour work day and a 40-hour work week, to which
  nearly all workers may be exposed, day after day
  without adverse effects

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Threshold Limit Value (TLV)

• Threshold Limit Value-Short Term Exposure Limit
  (TLV-STEL)
• 15 minute TWA, maximal concentration to which
  workers can be exposed for a period of up to 15
  minutes without suffering from any adverse
  effects
• lt 15 minutes not be repeated more than four
  times daily with at least 60 minutes between
  successive exposures in this range
• Threshold Limit Value-Ceiling (TLV-C)
• Concentration that should not be exceeded during
  any part of the working exposure
  

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Control

• Engineering
• Design specifications
• Isolation
• Ventilation
• Administrative
• Scheduling
• Location
• Substitution

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Control

• Personal Protective Equipment
• Respirators
• Chemical barriers
• Gloves, lab-coats, boots
• Safety goggles or glasses

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Hazardous Chemical Waste

• Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (EPA)
• Waste Characterization
• Mixed waste

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References

• Prudent Practices in the Laboratory, Handling and
  Disposal of Chemicals. National Research
  Council. Washington, D.C. National Academy
  Press, 1995.
• Hall, Stephen K. Chemical Safety in the
  Laboratory. Boca Raton, FL CRC Press, 1994.
• Threshold Limit Values for Chemical Substances
  and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure
  Indices. Cincinnati, OH ACGIH, 2009.
• CRC Handbook of Laboratory Safety. A. Keith Furr,
  CRC Press.
• OSHA Hazard Communication Standard 29
  CFR1910.1200
• OSHA Laboratory Standard 29 CFR 1910.1450
• OSHA Hazardous waste operations and emergency
  response 29 CFR 1910.120

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The Basics of Biological Safety for Radiation
Safety Professionals

• Robert Emery, DrPH, CHP, CIH, CSP, RBP, CHMM,
  CPP, ARM
• Vice President for Safety, Health, Environment,
  Risk Management Quality Assurance
• The University of Texas Health Science Center at
  Houston
• Associate Professor of Occupational Health
• The University of Texas School of Public Health

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What Is Biological Safety?

• The field of biosafety promotes infection
  control, safe laboratory practices, procedures,
  and proper use of containment equipment and
  facilities and provides advice on laboratory
  design as it relates to biological and infectious
  agents

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Where HPs May Encounter Biological Hazards

• Healthcare institutions
• Research institution
• Bioassay samples
• Emergency response
• Mixed waste
• Other duties as assigned
• Etc.

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Areas of Biosafety

• Bloodborne pathogens (BBP)
• OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard 29 CFR
  1910.1030
• Biological waste disposal
• State regulations concerning biological waste
  disposal
• Laboratory Safety
• Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical
  Laboratories 5th ed. CDC/NIH
• Infectious substance and diagnostic specimen
  shipping
• IATA, DOT, USPS Dangerous Goods Regulations

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Areas of Biosafety

• Recombinant DNA (rDNA)
• NIH Guidelines on Recombinant DNA Molecules
• Respiratory Protection
• 29 CFR 1910.134 (139 TB standard repealed)
• Bioterrorism
• Select Agents, 42 CFR 73 (human), 9 CFR 121
  (animal) 7 CFR 331 (plant)
• Mold and indoor air quality
• Mold Assessment and Remediation 25 TAC 1 295 J
• Indoor Air Quality 25 TAC 1 297 A
• Occupational safety and health in the use of
  research animals

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Risk Assessment

• Process to determine the appropriate containment
  level and procedures
• Factors include
• Pathogenicity, route of transmission,
  concentration, origin, availability of
  prophylaxis, experience, rDNA work, genes of
  interest, replication competence, etc

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Hazard Classifications of Microbial Agents (1-4)

• Risk Group 1
• Minimal hazard to humans, not known to cause
  disease in healthy adults
• Risk Group 2
• Agents associated with disease which is rarely
  serious or there is treatment available,
  generally oral or inoculation hazards

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Hazard Classifications of Microbial Agents (1-4)

• Risk Group 3
• High individual risk, associated with serious
  disease which may or may not have treatment,
  generally aerosol transmission hazard
• Risk Group 4
• Serious or lethal disease for which there is not
  usually a therapeutic intervention, generally
  dangerous and exotic viruses

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Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical
Laboratories (BMBL)
Download 5th Ed HHS Publication No. (CDC)
93-8395 at www.cdc.gov and search BMBL 5th
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BMBL Contents

• Principles of Biosafety
• Laboratory Biosafety Level Criteria
• Animal Biosafety Level Criteria
• Risk Assessment
• Recommended Biosafety Levels
• Biological Agent Summaries

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Biological Safety Levels

• Biosafety levels are combinations of facilities
  and practicesLevel 1 basic lab, good lab
  practices
• Level 2 limited lab access, specific training
  and practices
• Level 3 containment (biosafety cabinet),
  specific training and practices
• Level 4 full containment, specific facility,
  training and practices

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Biosafety Level 3 Facility
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Biological Safety Cabinets (BSC)

• BSC Class I negative pressure ventilated
  cabinet no product protection
• BSC Class II HEPA filtered exhaust provides
  product and personnel protection. 2 types A
  B
• BSC Class III fully contained glove box

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Biological Safety Cabinets

• Class II Biological safety cabinet

Figure courtesy of CDC/NIH BMBL
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BBP Standard 29 CFR 1910.1030

• Exposure Control Plan
• Exposure determination
• Work practices
• Standard / Universal Precautions
• HBV vaccination
• Labeling
• Potentially infectious waste handling
• Medical evaluation
• Training

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Microbial Sampling

• Not routinely done or recommended
• Source
• Air
• Bulk
• Culturable versus Non-culturable
• Building should be evaluated under normal
  operating conditions
• Note conditions during sampling
• Results generally reported in CFU (colony forming
  units)
• No standards for results comparison

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The Select Agent Rule
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Emerging Issue - Select Agents and Bioterrorism

• Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of
  1996 (PL 104-132)
• Invoke transport requirements, and prohibited
  possession as weapons
• USA PATRIOT Act (PL 107-56)
• Effective 10/16/01
• Outlawed the possession of 49 Select Agents for
  any use peaceful, research, or intentional
• Outlawed use if a restricted person
• Public Health Security and Bioterrorism
  Preparedness and Response Act of 2002
• Effective 6/12/02
• Select Agent regulations

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Summary

• Biosafety is much more than the bloodborne
  pathogens standard
• Risk assessment process is the key to properly
  classifying and reviewing work with infectious
  agents or rDNA
• Sampling not routinely recommended
• Emerging field!

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References

• American Biological Safety Association
  www.absa.org
• Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical
  Laboratories, 5th ed. CDC/NIH 2007.
• Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA
  Molecules (NIH Guidelines) April 2002.
• OSHA, Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne
  Pathogens 29 CFR 1910.1030
• ABSA risk group classifications
  http//www.absa.org/riskgroups/index.htm
• Health Canada MSDS for Biological Agents
  http//www.hc-sc.gc.ca/pphb-dgspsp/msds-ftss/index
  .html
• Biological Safety Principles and Practices 3rd
  Edition. Diane Fleming Debra Hunt. ASM Press.

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