CHEMTECH- Chemical Health and Safety Information- November 1999

Volume 29, No. 11, 54-56.

Chemical Health and Safety Information

Carol DeAngelo

Section 1 — Library Services

The American Chemical Society (ACS), a not-for-profit membership organization, was founded in 1876 and chartered by a 1937 Act of the U.S. Congress. Two of ACS's main goals are to further scientific education and advance the public's understanding of science. To that end, ACS maintains Library Services, to meet the research and information goals of the society's employees and to provide chemical and scientific information to ACS members and the public. Part of the duties of the Science Information Specialist, a reference position within the ACS Library Services, is to function as a chemical health and safety liaison to the public. We most frequently use the Internet as a source for information and referral, especially for government data, and have compiled a "webliography" of useful sites.

Section 2 — MSDS Information

Among the most frequently asked questions are those related to material safety data sheets (MSDSs). Typically, patrons want information pertaining to the safety, handling, and cleanup of chemicals to which they may have been exposed. Alternatively, transporters need access to MSDS pages for the materials they may be carrying, or they need to understand the nature of the material described on the sheets. Educators and parents often want to know about chemicals to be used in school laboratories. Less frequently, businesses want to know how to prepare an MSDS correctly.

MSDS information is typically prepared by and available from the manufacturer. It also can be purchased from several commercial sources. The advent of the Internet, however, has made this information more freely accessible, and as Information Specialists, we provide the requesters with URLs that they may find helpful. Two of the best sites for up-to-date MSDS information are the Cornell University site (1) and the Vermont Safety Information Resources Inc. (SIRI) site (2).

The Cornell site, with more than 325,000 MSDSs residing on it, can be searched by a chemical name, and up to 100 pages of MSDSs can be retrieved. Each MSDS will have handling, safety, disposal, and manufacturing information for a chemical in whatever form the manufacturer supplies the chemical (e.g., in a pure form or as part of a mixture).

The SIRI site, from which the Cornell site draws some of its data, offers a wider range of information. Because the manufacturer is the best source for chemical information, SIRI offers a number of manufacturers, listed alphabetically. If the manufacturer is on this list, a hot link will take the requester to the company's site. A search box function is available for the requester to locate the manufacturer or the chemical by searching for complete names, fragments, Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) numbers, or the product name.

Most MSDS questions can be answered using these two pages. SIRI offers some additional information, however, in a search for toxicology reports. These are searched by keying in words or fragments of the chemical's name, CAS number, or Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS) number. Furthermore, there is a link to a page with a substantial number of sites for either MSDS or hazardous chemical information. All of these features make the SIRI site a "one-stop shopping" page for members of the public who are anxious to retrieve as much knowledge as possible about a chemical.

For those patrons, primarily from the business sector, who need information about how to complete an MSDS, or for students researching the history of a particular chemical, we have located a few other helpful sites (3-5). Monona Rossol, the former Health and Safety Officer for United Scenic Artists, Local Union 829, prepared a training data sheet entitled "Understanding MSDS's" (3). This is a well-prepared fact sheet for the successful completion of the eight sections in an MSDS sheet.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) (4) has a site derived from the 29 CFR (Code of Federal Regulations), section 1910.1200, called "Hazard Communication" that simplifies the regulation language pertaining to hazard communication between employers and employees.

Samuel Aaron Kaplan, of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety, presented an informative history of the development of MSDSs at the 191st ACS National Meeting in New York City. The speech, entitled "Development of Material Safety Data Sheets" (5), is posted on the Kansas State University Physics Department's site.

Section 3 — Chemical Exposure Information

A second category of questions pertains to the possibility of exposure to a known or unknown chemical either at home or at work. Some requesters want to know what symptoms to expect if they have come into contact with a chemical. Others are concerned about sick building syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, formaldehyde, carpeting, and even shampoos. Our function at the ACS Library is not to diagnose, suggest treatments, or confirm rumors. As information specialists, we try to provide a conduit to the agency that can discuss these concerns.

The Agency of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) (6), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is mandated to supply information, education, and research into the area of hazardous substances in the environment and their effects. The home page offers several sites to which our requesters can be referred that deal with hazardous and toxic issues. These include Health Advisories (7); National Alerts (8); and ToxFAQs (9), which supply short summaries, gleaned from the ATSDR-prepared Toxicological Profiles and Public Health Statements.

In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ATSDR jointly prepared the ATSDR/EPA Priority List for 1997, which includes the "Top 20 Hazardous Substances". This, too, can be found on the ATSDR site (10). Each substance is linked to a Public Health Statement. For hazards information within a particular area, there are Public Health Assessments (11) that can be browsed by region.

Numerous sites can be accessed at the EPA Web site (12). As an independent federal agency, EPA is charged with regulating toxic, hazardous, or other polluting substances that are or may be released into the air, water, or ground. For people who need information about pesticides, indoor air quality, water pollution, and Superfund issues, EPA has a number of helpful sites, generally listing the pertinent contact's phone number or e-mail address. Because of the size, complexity, and comprehensiveness of the EPA's site, we have compiled a list of URLs for some pages that may be of particular use to our patrons. Some of the sites that we often recommend are listed here.

Air
Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) (13)
OAR Air Toxics (14)
OAR Indoor Air (15)
Fact Sheet on Sick Building Syndrome (16)
Indoor Air Quality publications and Information Hotline phone number (17)

Water
Office of Water (18)
Drinking Water Standards (19)
Beach Watch (20)
Office of Wastewater Management (21)

Pesticides and toxic substances
Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP) (22)
Concerned Citizen (23)
OPP's Information Resources (24)
Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) Information for Concerned Citizens (25)
Information Resources and Clearinghouses from OPPT (26)

Solid waste and emergency response
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response: Information Contacts (27)
Hotline Information for Superfund, RCRA, and EPCRA (the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act) (28)
Chemicals in Your Community: A Guide to the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act? (29)

We often refer persons with questions relating to the safety of consumer items (cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, or foods) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (30). A recurring question from the public is related to recent statements on the Internet that sodium laureth sulfate (commonly found in shampoos) is a cancer-causing agent. Because shampoo ingredients are regulated by the FDA, that seemed to be a good referral source. For people with Internet access, we most commonly suggest the following sites.

Cosmetic Safety (31)
Prohibited Ingredients (32)
Shelf Life-Expiration Date (33)
Cosmetics that Consumers Frequently Inquire About (34)
"Everything" Added to Food in the United States (EAFUS) (35)
FDA Drug Information (36)

Section 4 — Chemical Hygiene

A third kind of chemical health and safety question we receive centers around laboratories: incompatible chemicals, the chemical hygiene officer, the laboratory standard, disposal of chemicals, and safety issues such as contact lenses and pregnant workers in the labs.

One frequently asked question concerns the certification process for a chemical hygiene officer (CHO). Questions about how the certification process is completed, who does the testing, and what the requirements are can be answered by going to the site of the National Registry in Clinical Chemistry (37). This organization conducts the certification processes for a number of chemical categories.

Those who need guidance on how to set up a chemical hygiene plan can benefit from the model (38) offered by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The university also offers additional safety information links, among which are a chemical safety guide (39), a chemical waste management guide (40), a hazard communication plan (41), chemical waste and safety fact sheets (42), and a lab inspection form that allows users to make a safety tour of their own labs (43).

The magazine Chemical Health & Safety makes its table of contents available online, and "hot articles" from 1996 to 1999 are posted. Below are full citations of several hot articles that are relevant for health and safety issues.

Elston, Harry J., and William E. Luttrell. The CHO's spectrum of responsibilities. Chemical Health & Safety 1998, 5 (3), 15-18. (44)
Borchardt, John K. Customer chemical health and safety education: A tool for competitive advantage. Chemical Health & Safety 1998, 5 (2), 20-23. (45)
Nagel, Miriam C. A latex glove alert! Think twice before reaching for natural rubber PPE. Chemical Health & Safety 1997, 4 (6), 14-18. (46)
Segal, Eileen B. Contact lenses and chemicals: It's time to reconsider your eyewear policies. Chemical Health & Safety 1997, 4 (3), 33-37. (47) An update to the contact lens issue can be found, by those with a subscription, on the Internet site for Chemical & Engineering News (48). The full citation is: Ramsey, Henry and W. H. Breazeale, Jr. Contact lenses. Chemical & Engineering News, June 1, 1998, p 6.
Alaimo, Robert J., and Kenneth P. Fivizzani. Qualifications and training of chemical hygiene officers. Chemical Health & Safety 1996, 3 (6), 10-13. (49).

We also receive questions about incompatible chemicals (50), the effects of chemicals and radiation on pregnant workers (51), and safety information/publications (52). Chemical & Engineering News (53) has made its archives of "Safety in the Lab" letters received since 1993 accessible on their Web site. The informative letters cover such topics as potential hazards, explosivity, and safe-handling techniques.

Section 5 — Webliography

Patrons with safety and health concerns can usually be helped by one of these sites or a referral to the appropriate government agency. To request brochures or order publications, call the ACS customer service number, 800-227-5558, and choose 0 from the voice menu selections. "Living with the Laboratory Standard" summarizes the regulations that the CHO must follow and also can be purchased by calling the ACS customer service number. Much of the information presented here will be available on our ACS Library Services Web page, due to be up in early 2000, and should make the public's search for chemical health and safety information much easier.

MSDS Information

(1) http://msds.pdc.cornell.edu/issearch/msdssrch.htm
(2) http://hazard.com/msds/index.html
(3) http://frontpage1.shadow.net/usa829fl/usa/msds.html
(4) http://www.osha-slc.gov/OshStd_data/1910_1200.html
(5) http://www.phys.ksu.edu/~tipping/kaplan.html

Agency of Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

(6) http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov
(7) http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/advisories
(8) http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/alerts
(9) http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaq.html
(10) http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/cxcx3.html
(11) http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/PHA

Environmental Protection Agency

Food and Drug Administration

(30) http://www.fda.gov
(31) http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-safe.html
(32) http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-210.html
(33) http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-207.html
(34) http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-toc.html
(35) http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/eafus.html
(36) http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug.htm

Chemical Hygiene

(37) http://members.aol.com/nrcc6/cho.htm
(38) http://phantom.ehs.uiuc.edu/~chem/chyp/chyp.html
(39) http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~chem/safety/safety.html
(40) http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~chem/guide/guide.html
(41) http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~chem/hazcom/hazcom.html
(42) http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~chem/fact_sheets/fact_sheets.html
(43) http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~chem/inspection/inspect.html
(44) http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/chas/98/mayjun/cho.html
(45) http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/chas/98/marapr/cus.html
(46) http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/chas/97/novdec/latex.html
(47) http://pubs.acs.org/hotartcl/chas/97/mayjun/con.html
(48) http://pubs.acs.org/cen/safety/19980601.html
(49) http://acsinfo.acs.org/hotartcl/chas/96/novdec/choall.html
(50) http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/incompatibles.html
(51) http://www.minerals.csiro.au/safety/preg.htm#l2
(52) http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/main_pages/chem-hs.html
(53) http://pubs.acs.org/cen/index.html

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