Experimental Application of Semi-Quantitative Methods for the Assessment of Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals in Research Laboratories (original) (raw)

Risk assessment of chemicals in a toxicological laboratory: A case study

Issue 3, 2013

The toxicity of a chemical substance in a workplace depends on both its physical and chemical properties, the level of concentration in the breathing air, as well as, the duration of the exposure. In order to ensure healthy conditions at workplace, international organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO), have instituted upper limits of concentration for several chemicals that could provoke serious problems or disturbances on human health. The aim of the present paper is the estimation of the concentrations of ethanol, ethyl acetate and chloroform, which are widespread solvents used during routine analyses in a toxicological laboratory. The monitoring of the solvents at the laboratory was carried out during the summer period of two successive years. The monitoring was focused on the estimation of: a) the meteorological parameters (temperature and air humidity), b) both inhalation and dermal exposure concentrations by usi...

Chemical Health Risk Assessment at The Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Laboratory

Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012

The use of chemicals is a necessity for the learning and research process at the laboratories of the Department of Chemical & Process Engineering (JKKP). Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, it is one of the main responsibilities of the employer to protect and safeguard employees or consumers from the adverse effects of chemicals at the work place. In order to achieve this, a chemical health risk assessment (CHRA) has been conducted on chemical usage at the teaching and research labs, particularly those that pose a high risk to health. The purpose of the assessment is to allow identification and evaluation of risks involved and the level of exposure to chemicals handled at the labs. Furthermore, it is also to evaluate the sufficiency of the current control measures practiced by the staff and students of the department. This detailed and qualitative assessment is based on observations made of the staff while handling chemicals and reviews of the work procedures and manual as well as other related documents and records. Prevention and mitigation measures by a proactive approach were taken to minimize health risks during the learning and research process.

Qualitative evaluation of occupational exposure to chemical agents in a workplace of a research laboratory

Occupational Safety and Hygiene II: 10th International Symposium on Occupational Safety and Hygiene (SHO 2014), 2014

A workstation of a research laboratory was analyzed in order to identify the presence of chemical agents in the work environment. For this purpose, colorimetric tubes were used in three of the nine macro activities of the most exposed worker were studied. This study assumed the impossibility of: (i) changing the technical specifications of the linear length of the product X; and (ii) replacing the harmful release agents, resins and solvents by other more innocuous. After being detected the presence of toluene, methanol, n-hexane and ben-zene, the following sequence of improvements were proposed: (1st) moving the machine X to the entries C1-086 and C1-087 on the plant, considering the possibility to eliminate the division between those spaces; (2nd) install exhaust ventilation to do the correct atmospheric suction of the air / gases exposed; and (3rd) using a proper respiratory mask and special gloves to prevent the contamination.

Assessment of Occupational Risks in the Toxicology and Pharmacology Laboratory Using the FMECA Method

Chemical Science International Journal, 2021

The Toxicology and Pharmacology Laboratory is a high-risk work environment, especially the chemical risk that appears when people are exposed to reagents and chemicals. A corrective approach is required to identify and control these risks. The aim of this study is to determine how to manage the analytical risks at LTP designated for the dosage of drugs and poisons (narcotics, pesticides, mycotoxins, etc.). For this purpose, the risk analysis applying the FMECA method, a risk management tool that aims on the one hand, to qualitatively analyze the process, to analyze the failure modes, the causes and their effects, and to on the other hand, rate the criticality defined by the parameters of frequency of occurrence, severity and detection that will allow a quantitative analysis of each of the failure modes. Thus, the criticality calculation will help to determine the critical risks to be corrected, and to recommend corrective and preventive actions to be implemented within the service.

Risk assessment in academic laboratories in the west of Iran: compare the CHRA and the RSLs methods

International Journal of Environmental Health Research, 2019

In the laboratories staffs, there is potential for adverse health effects in exposure to chemicals. Therefore, risk assessment is one of the main issues to prevent these effects. The purpose of this study was to assess the health risk of laboratory staffs and compare the two methods, including 'Chemical Health Risk Assessment' (CHRA) and 'Regional Screening Levels' (RSLs), that developed by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health of Malaysia and the Environmental Protection Agency respectively. Using these two methods, the places with the highest risk were identified. Comparisons showed that RSLs is a precise method without personal judgment. The CHRA is a simple method for wider chemicals that categorize risk. But CHRA includes fewer parameters compared to RSLs, as well as personal judgment. The results of the present study showed that two methods did not compatible. According to the characteristics of these two methods, it is recommended to use them as a compliment each other to obtain accurate results.

Development of a Chemical Health Risk Assessment Tool for Health Risk Assessment from Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals

People are exposed to chemicals on a daily basis, which can cause health disorders or even fatalities depending on their dosages. This study was conducted to develop a chemical health risk assessment (CHRA) tool to assess the risk to human health from exposure to hazardous chemicals. For developing this tool, the United States' National Academy of Sciences (US-NAS) risk assessment paradigm and the Malaysian standards and regulations (guidelines for the assessment of the health risks arising from the use of hazardous chemicals in the workplace) were used as a framework for estimating the risk from exposure to hazardous chemicals. The computer program is written and designed within an object-oriented framework using Visual Basic (VB) programming language. The tool is designed to work as a stand-alone user-friendly software. Moreover, this tool is supported with some useful options such as data for permissible exposure limit (PEL) for common chemicals, odor level thresholds, and solvent drying time to provide users with some knowledge about the materials. Furthermore, it has an internal help function to assist users on how to use the tool. The software is also designed in such a manner that whenever the user makes a mistake while using the application, an error message will be prompted on the fault. This makes the CHRA tool easy for users to identify the risk associated due to exposure to hazardous chemicals and assess the adequacy of the control measures. The CHRA software is designed to be compatible with all Windows operating systems.

Polish System of Assessing Occupational Risk Posed by Chemical Compounds

International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2000

According to the Polish Labour Code (Ustawa, 1974) employers are legally obligated to provide workers with information about occupational health and safety risks. Maximum allowable concentrations (MAC) and the results of determining chemical compounds in workplace air are used for assessing occupational exposure and risk. A computer-assisted system STER, developed in the Central Institute for Labour Protection, helps to register and document occupational risk assessment and all actions resulting from those assessments. risk assessment chemical compounds computer-assisted system Risk assessment is the overall process of estimating the magnitude of risk and deciding whether or not the risk is tolerable or acceptable. The process of risk assessment is a systematic examination of all aspects of work undertaken to consider what could cause injury or harm, whether the hazards could be eliminated and, if not, what preventive or protective measures are, or should be, in place to control the risks. According to the Polish Labour Code (Ustawa, 1974), employers are legally obligated to provide workers with information about occupational health and safety risks. Assessment of occupational risk posed by chemical compounds is a very complicated problem because of traceable concentrations and

Risk Analysis and Risk Assessment in Laboratory Studies

European Journal of Science and Technology

In this study, risk analysis is investigated by using 5X5 L Type Matrix Method in laboratories determined within the scope of occupational health and safety. In the risk analysis, 50 risks are identified, of which 30 (60 %) have a high risk level, 18 (36 %) have a medium risk level, and 2 (4 %) have a low risk level. Occupational health and safety rules are applied to control these risks in laboratory research and to minimize their effects. In this context, the things to be done in laboratory studies are listed as follows. Students, lecturers, and laboratory staff working in the laboratory should receive occupational health and safety training. Emergency plans, teams, and drills should be made for situations that may occur during laboratory studies. Chemical use, transport, and storage must be recorded in laboratory research. Physical inadequacies such as ventilation in the laboratory and work area should be eliminated. Chemical hygiene and an accident prevention program are recomme...

Implementation of Chemical Health Risk Assessment in Teaching Laboratories

Asian Social Science, 2012

The Department of Chemical & Process Engineering (JKKP) is committed and actively working to providing a safe lab environment for students and staff. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, it is one of the main responsibilities of the employer to protect and safeguard employees or consumers from the adverse effects of chemicals at the work place. The objective of this study was to identify the risk and evaluate the level of exposure of chemicals involved. A Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) has been conducted on chemical usage at the teaching labs with the purpose to allow decisions to be made on appropriate control measures, training of employees, monitoring and health surveillance activities that may be needed to protect the health of staff and students who may be exposed to chemicals hazardous to health. Furthermore, it is also to evaluate the sufficiency of the current control measures practiced by the staff and students of the department. The procedure was carried out by detailed and qualitative assessment, based on site visit, observation of employees during task of handling chemicals, reviewing lab work procedures and manual, as well as other related documents and records. Results showed that hazards of the chemicals were determined through information obtained from a register of chemicals list and Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). Prevention and mitigation measures by a proactive approach were taken to minimize health risks during the learning and research process.

Proposal of a method for identifying exposure to hazardous chemicals in biomedical laboratories

Clinica Chimica Acta, 1996

Controlling occupational exposure to chemical substances in biomedical laboratories is very complex because of the high number of compounds involved, and the rapid changes in analytical techniques and methods. On the other hand, evidence of increased mortality for malignant lymphoma and leukemia has been observed in laboratory technicians. This calls for more precise procedures of risk assessment to identify the specific substances that may be responsible for these effects. A model of hazard identification is presented, which includes the following steps: identification, classification and periodical updating of the chemical substances used in each analytical technique; evaluation of the variables that can influence the exposure; quantification of exposure using environmental measurements. The availability of such a procedure can be useful for the organization of health and epidemiological surveillance programs for the laboratory workers.