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Subject: MMWR: Hazardous Chemical Incidents in Schools --- United States,
Date: Sun, 9 Nov 2008 11:23:07 -0500
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Subject: Re: Shorts and Skirts in Labs
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:46:48 -0500
Author: Peter Zavon


Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:03:55 -0500
Reply-To: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Subject: Re: Shorts and Skirts in Labs

From: 	Diane.Amell**At_Symbol_Here**state.mn.us
Subject: 	Re: [DCHAS-L] Shorts and Skirts in Labs
Date: 	November 10, 2008 11:01:03 AM EST

You are correct. Federal OSHA, NIOSH, and several other groups have  
all removed restrictions on contact lenses in most settings. Proper  
eye and face protection is still required. (Apparently, some people  
believed incorrectly that contact lenses by themselves were adequate  
eye protection.)

The best summary on the subject is the NIOSH Current Intelligence  
Bulletin 59: Contact Lens Use in a Chemical Environment, which can be  
found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2005-139/. Articles on the  
subject were published in the Volume 2 Number 1 (January/February  
1995) and Volume 9 Number 2 (March/April 2002) issues of Chemical  
Health & Safety.

Federal OSHA standards that recommend against the use of contacts in  
certain chemical environments include:
Acrylonitrile
Ethylene oxide
Dibromochloropropane (DBCP)
4,4'-Methylenedianiline
1,3-Butadiene
Methylene chloride
Recent federal OSHA documents have recommended that contacts not be  
worn in dusty environments or around anhydrous ammonia. The  
recommendations against contacts in the federal lab standard  
(1910.1450) came from the 1981 version of Prudent Practices in the  
Laboratory: Handling and Disposal of Chemicals. It would be  
interesting to ask our colleague working on the latest edition where  
they are headed.

- Diane Amell, MNOSHA

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