In Alberta, Canada, use of glutaraldehyde falls under legislation which controls pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. In order to use GA you have to be a certified pesticide applicator. Nurses and radiographers have been allowed to to paddle in it for years.
An American X-ray facility in Nebraska has inadequate ventilation - a SNFTAAS member relieved there and managed to achieve a visit by an OSHA representative. His response was, "You have air coming in and air going out. The Environmental Protection Agency is more powerful politically than we are. They say it is too DANGEROUS to vent outside, so I really can't recommend to anyone that it be vented outside."[1]
Only with safe workplaces will the number with debilitating chemical illnesses remain static. The true cost of inaction by managers in the health industry and in any industries using dangerous chemicals must be placed with the manufacturers/managers/owners.
Cross-sensitivity makes vocational retraining extremely difficult because there are few jobs/training that do not require exposure to some chemicals even in getting to work. But even retraining in computer work, which can be undertaken in the relative safety of a non-sensitising home environment, is hard because of short term memory loss and difficulty in concentration which makes new learning very difficult, (plus the off-gassing effects of the VOC chemicals used in the making of a new computer).
A 27 November, 1998 UK NHS Health Service Circular to all Chief Executives, Directors of Public Health, Advisors in General Practice etc says: “Glutaraldehyde - Status: Action. A new, legally enforceable MEL is expected to be introduced in early 1999... Trusts should:
i put revised procedures in place ...
ii plan to complete modification of current control systems eg ventilation...
iii replace current arrangements with an effective washer/disinfector by early 1999 where the MEL cannot be met in either of the above ways. Glutaraldehyde is a volatile disinfecting and sterilising agent... exposure has been known to cause a range of problems from irritation of the eyes, nose and throat to skin sensitisation and asthma.... The HSE does not consider current hand-held equipment adequate for measuring airborne glutaraldehyde levels down to the requirements of the new MEL. A number of laboratories have the capacity to carry out these measurements.” AT LAST. (Even if many of the other symptoms are not yet acknowledged.)
It is imperative that health and safety organisations in every country take a much tougher line to provide the incentive for proper handling of the chemicals and good ventilation and personal protection - in NZ it is good that increased levies on employers, based on injury records, are starting to bite. Whether this trend will continue with the privatisation and dismantling of ACC’s workplace injury insurance scheme has yet to be seen. It is not good enough that in other instances, knowledge of cases which have succeeded in court and the threat of legal action are the real incentives to cleaning up the work environment.
***
GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. Gordon M and Laird I. Guidance Notes for the Provision of a Safe Work Environment, published by the Accident Compensation Corporation, P.O. Box 242, Wellington, New Zealand, 1990 ISBN 0-477-04616-9. (Now only available in photocopy)
2. Spicer J, Hay and Gordon M A Workplace exposure and reported health in New Zealand diagnostic radiographers. Australasian Radiology. 30,.3 281-6 1986
3. Safety with Chemicals and Fumes. Photosol. 15 Bakers Court, Paycocke Rd, Basildon, Essex SS14 3EH, England. Ph: (01268) 293612 Fax: (01268) 523111
4. Beauchamp Robert O et al . A Critical Review of the Toxicology of Glutaraldehyde. Critical Reviews in Toxicology, 22(3,4):143-174 (1992)
5. Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values and Biological Exposure Indices. Sixth Edition, 1991. American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists.
6. Clinical and immunologic evaluation of workers exposed to glutaraldehyde. Curran AD, Burge PS, Wiley K. Allergy, 1996: 51, 826-832.
7. Norbach Dan. Skin and Respiratory symptoms from workers exposure to alkaline glutaraldehyde in medical services. Scand J Work Environ Health 1988, 14, 366-371
FURTHER READING:
Chemical Exposures - Low Levels and High Stakes by Nicholas Ashford and Claudia Miller. Second Edition, 1998. Van Nostrand Reinhold. ISBN 0-442-02524-6
Defining Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Bonnye L Matthews. McFarland, 1998. ISBN 0-7864-0413-2
Chemical Exposure and Disease - the Layperson’s Guide to Understanding Cause and Effect. Janette D. Sherman, M.D., PO Box 4605, Alexandria, VA 22303, USA
ISBN No. 0-0911131-31-0 $35.00 + $4.00 for shipping.
Theo Colborn, et al. Our Stolen Future: Are We Threatening Our Fertility, Intelligence and Survival?
Chemical Exposure and Human Health: A Reference to 314 Chemicals with a Guide to Symptoms. Cynthia Wilson. McFarland and Co. 1993.
And many more good books. CIIN has an excellent list.
SOME WEB SITES:
*http://www.clt.astate.edu/RadSci/PDark.htm (Educational site with glutaraldehyde-specific information., from Rick Carlton, Arkansas State University.) To subscribe to ‘gasslist’ send a normal email message to: listserv@crow.astate.edu with a message of <subscribe gasslist>
*TILT Website: http://www.med.vc.edu/htdocs/medicine/ceg/oxstress/Leikauf.htm *http://www.ehcd.com/index.html Dr William Rea’s Environmental Health Centre, Dallas, Web Bulletin Board. Vols 1-4 of William Rea’s book Chemical Sensitivity, based on experience of 28,000 patients, are available.
*http://www.neuro-test.com Dr Kaye Kilburn’s web site on neurotoxicity.
*ACTA’s website: http://www.ozemail.com.au/~actuall
*http://consumerlawpage.com/article/bookchems.html (The Alexander Law Firm represents the injured, consumers, small business owners, and industrial workers in cases involving accidents, defective products, toxic chemical poisoning and pollution, and corporate fraud involving stocks and products. The firm holds Martindale-Hubbell's highest rating, is recognized in the List of Preeminent Law Firms in the U. S. and has been elected to the International Society of Primerus Law Firms.
*http://occ-env-med.mc.duke.edu/oem/ Duke Occupational & Environmental Medicine - (Covers ATSDR, OSHA, IRIS, NIOSH, Medline and more)
*http://www.worksafe.gov.au/worksafe/FULLTEXT/toc/h3-40.htm Glutaraldehyde Full Public Report
*http://chemfinder.camsoft.com/ ChemFinder Searching
*http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/ National Toxicology Program (NTP) Home Page</A>
*http://www.antecint.com/glutaral.htm Antec International Ltd. - Aldehyde, Glutaraldehyde, etc issues.
*http://www.cea.purdue.edu/iahcsmm/ (Basic principles of sterilisation)
*http://steele.ohsu.edu/croet/research.html Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology (CROET)Listed below are the main themes in CROET's basic and applied research projects for each of the major issues:
Investigating the effects of low-level chemical exposures
Preventing and repairing damage to the nervous system
Identifying gene-environment interactions
*http://www.ameliaww.com/fpin/fpin.htm (For information on health effects of fragrances) or
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~aair/
*http://www.ccohs.ca/search.html The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS).
A search for glutaraldehyde yields 9 articles: (1) Health Effects of GA. (2) Basic Information on GA. (3) GA. (4) Working Safely with GA. (5) First Aid for Exposure to GA. (6) Personal Protective Equipment. (7) International Hazard Classifications for GA. (8) Source Info on GA. (9) Site Map.
*http://www.med.ed.ac.uk/hew/qsar/astchem.html Low molecular weight chemicals that cause asthma/ University of Edinburgh.
INTERNATIONAL MCSS RESOURCES.
*The Internet Family Support Group for members of families with MCS, CFIDS, Environmental Illness etc can be found via email at: familysupport-mcs@groups.com
*Read and post messages on the web: http://eGroups.com/list/familysupport-mcs
*Web site of MCS Referral and Resources - set up by Dr Grace Ziem: http://www.mcsrr.org/
*Dr Mark Donohoe, Australian specialist: http://www.planet.ark.org/new/drmark1.html.
*International Directory on MCS: http://www.w3-mediator.de/mcs/index.htm
*CIIN (Chemical Injury Information Network), PO Box 301, White Sulphur Springs, Montana 59645-0301, USA. Ph: (406) 547-2455. F: (406) 547-2455.
*NCEHS (National Centre for Environmental Health Strategies), 1100 Rural Avenue, Voorhees, New Jersey 08043, USA. Ph: (609) 429-5353
The Jeremiah Project is an outreach ministry run by Rev Linda Reinhardt (herself disabled from pesticide poisoning) and sponsored by the Presbyterian Church. It provides a chemical-free open air worship centre, resource library, etc plus services to homebound individuals. Address: HC-1 222 Soft Wind, Canyon Lake, Texas 78133, USA. Ph: 830-935-4618.
THE WRITER AND SNFTAAS HAVE DONE EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO ENSURE THE ACCURACY
OF THIS INFORMATION BUT TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS INFORMATION
ORCONSEQUENCES RESULTING FROM THE PROVISION OF THIS INFORMATION.
THE WRITER DOES NOT HAVE A SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND AND CAN ONLY REPORT INFORMATION!
PLEASE SEEK ANY TREATMENT FROM A QUALIFIED MEDICAL PRACTITIONER
