About This Archive  |	DCHAS-L 2012 Index   |	DCHAS-L Yearly Index
Search All Posts:   Advanced Search     Disclaimer

Check out Safety Emporium for your N95, N99, and face shield needs.

Previous by Date: Subject: [DCHAS-L] CHAS Workshops Date: July 19, 2012 2:21:03 PM EDT Author: NEAL LANGERMAN

Next by Date: Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Lab coats & nano safety Date: July 19, 2012 4:22:09 PM EDT Author: Allen Niemi

I think the paragraph that starts the section helps clarify this:

"6.4.1 Protective Clothing
There are no standards or guidelines for the use or selection of
protective clothing or other
apparel for working with nanomaterials [OSHA 2008]. Suggested PPE
consistent with
basic industrial hygiene practice includes the following:

??Clothing appropriate for a wet-chemistry laboratory, including
closed-toe shoes
made of a low permeability material. (Disposable, over-the-shoe booties may be
necessary to prevent tracking nanomaterials from the laboratory)."

Hence I read it as "impervious" to liquids similar to the following link:

http://www.denlineuniforms.com/disposables/impervious.php

I think the sentence about coveralls is poorly written and that the
author intended the word "impervious" to apply to coveralls or work
uniforms IF you are not wearing an impervious lab coat.

For you last question I think the author assumes disposable coats are
thrown away after each use and would never leave the lab.

Jeff Lewin
Biological Sciences
Michigan Tech University.

On Thu, Jul 19, 2012 at 2:08 PM, wrote:
I'm still working on the lab coat issue!

I'm reviewing the NIOSH doc 2012-147 for Nano S&H
(http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2012-147/pdfs/2012-147.pdf) and it has 2
specific references to lab coats (1st time I've seen anything so specfic!):

p.16:
Impervious laboratory coats (noncotton). (If nondisposable laboratory coats
are used, they should remain in the laboratory/change-out area to prevent
nanoparticles from being transported into common areas).

p.18:
At a minimum, for all laboratory activities, wear impervious (non-woven)
laboratory coats (or coveralls, or a work uniform that covers the arms);
long pants without cuffs: a long-sleeved shirt; closed-toe shoes made of a
low-permeability material, or disposable foot covers; eye protection; and
appropriate chemical-resistant gloves (depending on the chemical exposure).

My questions:
1. Does this only refer to work with nanomaterial powder? vs liquid/solvent
solution?
2. What material is "non-woven"? Aren't the polyblends are woven to some
degree?
3. If the lab coat is supposed to be "non-woven", why not the coveralls or
work uniform?
4. What S&H benefit does "non-woven" provide?
5. "Impervious" to what?
6. Can "disposable" lab coats be taken out of the lab area? How come only
"nondisposable" coats must remain in the lab?

Thanks for your insights!

Kim Gates Auletta
Lab Safety Specialist
EH&S Z=6200
Stony Brook University
NOTE!! New email system on campus! kim.auletta**At_Symbol_Here**stonybrook.edu
631-632-3032
FAX: 631-632-9683
EH&S Web site: http://www.stonybrook.edu/ehs/lab/

Remember to wash your hands!

Previous post   |  Top of Page   |   Next post