I received a call this week from a woman involved in a 2017 lab incident. I have been trying to identify knowledgeable resources which/who might be able to help her. A note summarizing the incident and the ensuing problems is below.

I'm sharing her note with the group in hopes that one or more of the readers will have constructive suggestions to help her. Please do not hesitate to contact her directly.

Thanks in advance for your assistance. ... Jim

James A. Kaufman, PhD

Founder/President Emeritus

The Laboratory Safety Institute (LSI)

A Nonprofit Educational Organization for Safety in Science, Industry, and Education

192 Worcester Street, Natick, MA 01760-2252

(O) 508-647-1900 (F) 508-647-0062 (C) 508-574-6264 Skype: labsafe; 508-401-7406

jim**At_Symbol_Here**labsafety.org www.labsafety.org Teach, Learn, and Practice Science Safely

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: J Manfred <jmanfred744**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Jun 12, 2020 at 12:46 PM
Subject:
To: <jim**At_Symbol_Here**labsafety.org>

Dr. Levy,

I was referred to you by a colleague by the name of Dr. Sawyer. I was injured in an occupational chemical exposure in October 2017. A low expansion borosilicate burette (Kimble kg-33) used for alkalinity testing with 0.02N H2SO4 titrant experienced catastrophic failure and imploded in the laboratory. I informed the Lab Manager, insisting that he come to look at the remarkable way in which the glass tubing had shattered. I was fascinated having never seen anything quite like it in the previous 14 years of working in that laboratory. Not having been trained in the hazards of fiber reinforced pressurized glass tubing I was unaware of the danger of tensile deformation and implosion. I was instructed to sweep it up, which took 15-20 minutes to clean the large volume of fine needle like splinters of glass tubing.

A day and a half later I was sent to occupational health and my boss would not tell me why. While there I explained the buret incident and that my legs had felt itchy through my laboratory safety pants, but I did not think I was injured. A few days later I awoke with severe neck pain in the area of my spine. A month later I removed the first needle-like splinter of glass from my upper back. Still experiencing a persistent magnitude of intolerable pain I returned to the occupational health clinic but was turned away. I was told that they only treat an employee once when referred for an occupational incident, and since I was already discharged with regard to said incident, I was therefore not eligible to schedule a second appointment for the delayed occurrence of my occupational injury. Four months following exposure I experienced difficulty breathing in addition to the constant physical pain in my neck and shoulder areas. I sought care at multiple emergency room and other medical facilities to no avail.

X-rays showed no concerning abnormalities. Ten months post incident my pulmonologist explained that both lungs showed scattered nodules, fibrosis, and hilar and mediastinal lymphadenopathy, indicative of granulomatous inflammatory immune response. Not only did I have dermal foreign body exposure from glass splinters deposited in my neck and shoulder areas when I changed out of my lab uniform (which consisted of a hooded sweatshirt which had replaced our lab safety jackets several years prior) I was also exposed to a massive dose of respirable silica which resulted in lung injury. I persistently made repeated attempts to obtain effecive medical treatment from a large multitude of providers to no avail..

The lack of familiarity with, and unwillingness of so many professionals in the medical field, to attempt to familiarize themselves with the hazardous substances used to manufacture the article that imploded was disheartening to day the least. The tribological properties displayed by the bioactive paramagnetic metal oxide nanomaterials, multiwalled carbon nanotubes and other small molecules which exhibit unique behavioral phenomena very dissimilar to that of their larger molecular counterparts, left me the patient, feeling isolated, anxious and very much stressed. The unwillingness of so many medical providers to even consider my request for specific testing which could help to establish diagnosis and prognosis,or to investigate the availability of any possible effective treatment, has had a profoundly isolating l The lack of awareness of negative effects of bioactive particles in response to UV rays, imaging techniques (-rays, CTscans and MRIs) and even unavoidable daily environmental exposures to various airborne particles has left me with no effective medical services, even at occupational health clinics.

I have suffered with such severe constant pain, which has been so unnecessarily prolonged by the action, and more importantly, the inaction of the entire portion of the medical communityThe scientific community has helped a bit, as they have some understanding of nanoparticle behavior and their unusual biological phenomena . Including birefringence and the need to be viewed under certain wavelengths of polarizedlight. After six months I had a 3T MRI with contrast for 90 minutes. I emerged extremely cyanotic and worsened physical symptoms. After a year of my body experiencing chronic inflammation, I was given a iron infusion to treat loss of ferritin, by a hematologist. I objected due to the iron uptake properties of the material to no avail. . Following the infusion I could not get out of bed for two full months. My vitamin d is off, I have had multiple upper and lower GI procedures and many other systemic concerns due to endocrine-disruption. My primary care provider noted in my medical chart shortly after the incident, that he believed it was delusiional pain due to failure of medical imaging to detect foreign body presence in my tissues.

I have requested testing for blood gas, reactive oxygen species, damage to mitochondria, and abnormal protein folding repeatedly from various providers to no avail. Recently I'm experiencing multiple symptoms of systemic toxicity including significant neurological and cognitive deficiencies that indicate a possible chemically-induced brain injury from the ability of metal oxide nanoparticles to cross the blood-brain barrier. deterioration of my eyesight. I am still in debilitating pain almost constantly.The glass particles were analyzed at the University of Rhode island nanoscience consortium chemical engineering laboratory. Elemental analysis and mapping verified that it was low expansion laboratory borosilicate glass with tissue attached. I would like to clarify that I am not seeking prescription pain medication, I am seeking medical care so that I can get better. I am adversely affected by exposure to UV rays, magnetic or photo excitation of the metal oxides and multi- walled nanotubes, the tribological and oxidative bioactive properties causing biodissolution and perfusion of additional foreign bodies mainly in my neck and shoulder area where they were deposited while removing the hooded sweatshirt of my uniform. I am attaching a picture of a round disc like glass foreign body that I removed from the base of my neck. a few weeks after I was zapped in an electrical incident.

Most of my family members are alienated because my PCP is their neighbor, told them he thought it was delusional pain so I get laughed at when I try to talk and cognitive issues severely affecting communication. I apologize for taking so long to explain. Please if you could treat me or recommend a source of possible treatment, I will jump in the car immediately I don't care if I have to pay thousands of dollars or travel across the globe. I am that desperate to obtain medical treatment.

Julie Manfred

401-256-6952

jmanfred744**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com

--- For more information about the DCHAS-L e-mail list, contact the Divisional membership chair at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org Follow us on Twitter **At_Symbol_Here**acsdchas