BD Vacutainer Brand Tube with Dispotassium EDTA. This is a blood collection tube with Dispotassium EDTA inside.
What are the health risks associated with this chemical?
As stated in the MSDS, this product may cause eye and skin irritation. Inhalation causes respiratory tract irritation. Ingestion causes gastrointestinal irritation and nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Is the chemical a carcinogen?
The chemical is not listed as a carcinogenic.
What personal protective equipment or special precautions should be taken when working with this chemical?
After inhalation: move the exposed person to fresh air.
After skin contact: immediately flush skin with plenty of soap and water for at least 15 minutes.
After eye contact: immediately flush with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes.
After swallowing: immediately give large amounts of water. Get medical attention.
Information for doctor: show this label (MSDS).
If this is a chemical found in your workplace, what training/education were you given about any risks associated with this chemical?
This chemical is commonly found in the workplace, although sealed shut in a blood collection tube. I was trained how to properly use and dispose of the product but was not aware of the MSDS of this product.
Before learning about MSDS's, I did not know about how readily available occupational safety and health information was regarding certain products and chemicals I work with on a daily basis. I found several MSDS's in a lab manual. Most are easy to read and have all the information one would need to know if they are exposed to the chemical. I believe it is the employers duty to ensure that all employees are made aware of these documents in an effort to ensure everyone in the workplace is safe from any type of chemical exposure.
Were there any discrepancies regarding the potential health effects noted in the MSDS?
After searching EDTA in HSDB on the TOXNET website, I noticed there were no discrepancies between what was on the MSDS and website.
https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search2/f?./temp/~XN54fj:1
I’m glad to know we are working on the same field. I am a primary care physician working on clinical research. We are working with African American, Hispanic, and Asian communities. Our current project is focused on predictors of chronic disease among disadvantaged communities. Before this class, I didn’t pay too much attention to the MSDS since I don’t deal directly with chemicals. The clinic has several binders with many sheets available for workers. After learning the importance of the MSDS, I feel more conscious and I will read these materials as they are key for occupational health and safety. I’ll also promote the use of MSDS in the workplace.
ReplyDeleteIt's critical for employers to provide adequate training for the handling of chemicals, specially if those chemicals can be harmful. Having the MSDS in our job site is very important. Even though, we know it exists, I believe that many people do not really pay attention to it. When I asked my co-workers about the binder, know one really knew where it was. I had to wait until the supervisor came along for me to get access to it.
ReplyDelete