When I asked about obtaining a Material Safety Data Sheet from my employer, I was told that I needed to contact HR. Our HR department is not in-house, so I sent out an email to our HR executive but have not yet heard anything back. I realized that I couldn't wait any longer so I decided to move forward with this assignment by looking up an MSDS for a product I know I am frequently exposed to at my work - gym sanitation wipes.
1. The health risks of this product include: mild irritation/redness of the eyes, mild irritation of the skin from prolonged exposure
2. The product contains no hazardous chemicals as defined in 29 CFR 1910.1200
3. If these wipes were spilled, it is advised that I ventilate the area, scoop up the spilled material and place it in a properly marked waste disposal container to be properly disposed of by local environmental authorities
4. The only "training" I was given about this product is to wash my hands after using it. It is a disinfectant wipe, so I think I assumed this role of hand washing pretty much on my own. I did assume that these wipes had bleach in them, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that they do not.
Listed in the "fragrance" section of this product was 'acetone'. Although the amount was very small (.002), I thought I'd look into this chemical on ToxNet as I don't know much about it. Turns out 'acetone' is a known carcinogen. I assume the MSDS did not list any of 'acetone's known health effects because it it used in such a small quantity - but I still found its omission from the sheet a bit frightening. I think overall, both the MSDS and ToxNet's findings are too difficult for most people to read. Someone with the reading level of a 6th grader, or who spoke English as a second language, would almost certainly struggle to make sense of this information.
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing information about gym sanitation wipes. It's nice to learn that there aren't any severe symptoms associated with exposure to sanitation wipes. I also looked into gyms and there is a lot going on with the air in particular! - Christina KH
When I go to the gym, I use gym sanitation wipes often to clean up the equipment I use for myself and the person that uses it after me. I usually grab the wipes just cause they are easier to use compared to the towel and spray. The health effects don't seem too bad (except for the acetone) but since it is a small quantity, I will most likely keep using them. Thank you for teaching me some new things on these wipes!
ReplyDeleteResponse: Christina
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your findings here. Its makes me nervous to see that there is "not enough information on glutaraldehyde" to know if its a carcinogen. I feel like this is how a lot of these environmental health horror stories start out! We don't have all the information and then the long-term effects creep up and bite us!
Response: Brianna
Yikes! Lead-acid batteries?! I feel like, even without officially looking these things up, mot people would guess that they are bad news. The corrosive power of these chemicals is terrifying! Thanks for sharing!