We had an email inquiry in our MSDS Questions mailbox today that I thought
would be worth discussing on the list.
This person was contemplating the instructions for skin exposure on the
MSDS's for phenol, cresol and related materials. The MSDS's generally say
to flush immediately with water while removing affected clothing, but his
concern was that rinsing immediately with water would present more of a
health hazard because doing so would further spread phenol-laden water
over a larger area of the body, giving a wider/systemic exposure. He was
suggesting that spilled material should first be wiped off the skin using
a towel/tissue and then use water.
My thoughts on this are
1. His proposal adds an extra step, and with phenols any delay is
dangerous.
2. The person is either going to have to stop and put on gloves (see item
1) or else risk further skin exposure on the hands.
3. The phenol-laden rinse water is going to be very quickly flushed away
and have little chance to absorb. It does not
seem likely that rinsate could pose a serious systemic threat, and
any threat it does pose pales in comparison to a delay.
Does anyone have any thoughts/comments to add for our reply to this
question?
Thanks,
Rob Toreki
=====================================================
Safety Emporium - Lab & Safety Supplies featuring brand names
you know and trust. Visit us at http://www.SafetyEmporium.com
esales**At_Symbol_Here**safetyemporium.com or toll-free: (866) 326-5412
Fax: (856) 553-6154, PO Box 1003, Blackwood, NJ 08012
The take-home message that I've always
used when it comes to cleansing the skin after contact is: "The
Solution is Dilution!"
The assumption that phenol laden water is created is correct, however,
the concentration diminishes rapidly with rinsing and the total time where
the concentration of phenol is of concern also diminishes. The more
water the better. This is true doe almost anything, whether it is
phenol, HF, etc.
Fred Simmons
Chemical Management Center
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions
From:
ILPI <info**At_Symbol_Here**ILPI.COM>
To:
DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Date:
07/29/2011 05:31 PM
Subject:
[DCHAS-L] Phenol/cresol
first aid question
Sent by:
DCHAS-L Discussion
List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
We had an email inquiry in our MSDS Questions mailbox
today that I thought would be worth discussing on the list.
This person was contemplating the instructions for skin
exposure on the MSDS's for phenol, cresol and related materials. The
MSDS's generally say to flush immediately with water while removing affected
clothing, but his concern was that rinsing immediately with water would
present more of a health hazard because doing so would further spread phenol-laden
water over a larger area of the body, giving a wider/systemic exposure.
He was suggesting that spilled material should first be wiped off
the skin using a towel/tissue and then use water.
My thoughts on this are
1. His proposal adds an extra step, and with phenols any
delay is dangerous.
2. The person is either going to have to stop and put
on gloves (see item 1) or else risk further skin exposure on the hands.
3. The phenol-laden rinse water is going to be very quickly
flushed away and have little chance to absorb. It does not
seem likely that rinsate could pose
a serious systemic threat, and any threat it does pose pales in comparison
to a delay.
Does anyone have any thoughts/comments to add for our
reply to this question?
Thanks,
Rob Toreki
======================================================
Safety Emporium - Lab & Safety Supplies featuring
brand names
you know and trust. Visit us at http://www.SafetyEmporium.com
esales**At_Symbol_Here**safetyemporium.com
or toll-free: (866) 326-5412
Fax: (856) 553-6154, PO Box 1003, Blackwood, NJ 08012
