>I specified a 15 minute period in the safety shower, since that is what would be standard treatment for a human.

I think that this is more of a medical question for a veterinarian than for EHS professionals.

Having said that, managing a dog in a shower for 15 minutes sounds like a significant challenge, particularly if someone the dog cares about is freaking out nearby. For this reason, I would point out that the 15 minute washing standard is based on exposures to dry bases in the human eye. These dusts are notoriously hard to wash out and also hard to detect because of the lack of pain associated with the alkali exposure. This lack of pain can result in long exposures and more damage to the eyeball, so 15 minutes is assigned to include a “safety margin". I believe that these lessons were learned with industrial exposures to alkali dusts, as opposed to laboratory exposures to corrosive solutions.

With this in mind, for solvents and acids, 15 minutes is probably overkill because assessments of the effectiveness of the eyewash are easier to make. As you point out, the assessment protocol would be difficult for a chemist to make with another person, let along another species. That is why it is important to also call 911 for EMT assistance in case of chemical exposure that requires eyewash or safety shower treatment. Medical attention to the exposure will be necessary and the EMTs can start that process. It would be interesting to know if your local EMTs can support animal care.

Good luck with this.

- Ralph

Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
ralph**At_Symbol_Here**rstuartcih.org

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