L ET’ S TA LK S A FE TY This column addresses safety issues of interest to water and wastewater personnel, and will appear monthly in the magazine. The Journal is also interested in receiving any articles on the subject of safety that it can share with readers in the “Spotlight on Safety” column.
Don’t Let Chemicals Get You!
W
ater utility operators and laboratory staff are often exposed to chemicals that can cause severe harm—or even death. Many chemicals are extremely toxic, and even small quantities of them can be lethal. The effects of chemical exposure can be local (at the point of contact) or systemic. Systemic exposure occurs when the chemical agent is absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body, affecting one or more organs. If you are exposed to a toxic chemical, the severity of damage will depend on the toxicity of the substance, its solubility in tissue fluids, its concentration, and the duration of exposure.
Avenues of Chemical Exposure A person can be exposed to dangerous chemicals in the following ways: ■ Dermal contact ■ Inhalation
■ Ingestion ■ Ocular exposure ■ Injection Dermal Contact Spills and splashes in the laboratory or when loading chemicals into vats or mixing bays can result in contamination of exposed skin. When chemicals come in contact with the skin or the mucous membranes, they can cause surface irritation at best. At worst, the chemicals can be absorbed into the bloodstream, causing systemic poisoning. Chemicals primarily penetrate the skin through hair follicles, sebaceous glands, sweat glands, and cuts or abrasions. Touching contaminated hands to the mouth, nose, and eyes can also cause chemicals to be absorbed into the body. Inhalation Inhalation is the most common road of entry for toxic substances. Toxic vapors,
mists, gases, and even dust and particulates can be absorbed through the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose, and subsequently travel into the throat and lungs and cause serious damage to those tissues. The effects are further compounded if the substances pass through the lungs into the circulatory system. Ingestion Mouth pipetting in the laboratory can lead to the ingestion of chemicals, but an even more common cause of unintentional ingestion of toxic substances is from foods that were stored in containers, such as beverage jars, that had been used to store nonfood items (paint, plant food, or other substances). Another unsafe—but common—practice that can lead to ingestion is storing food in a place where chemicals are stored or storing chemicals in a refrigerator used for food.
The 2020 Let’s Talk Safety is available from AWWA; visit www.awwa.org or call 800.926.7337. Get 40 percent off the list price or 10 percent off the member price by using promo code SAFETY20. The code is good for the 2020 Let’s Talk Safety book, dual disc set, and book + CD set.
54 August 2021 • Florida Water Resources Journal
