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Thread: Very Scary.........and used in most optical Labs

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    Exclamation Very Scary.........and used in most optical Labs

    Medical Management Guidelines (MMGs)forEthylene Glycol(C2H6O2)
    Lens Dye Neutralizer

    For a change I am bringing up subject again, and invite all lens tinting professionals to read text on link at the bottom of this message and maybe make some comments on the use of Lens Neutralizer




    For more information, contact:
    Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

    Division of Toxicology
    1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop F-32
    Atlanta, GA 30333
    Phone: 1-888-42-ATSDR (1-888-422-8737)
    FAX: (770)-488-4178
    Email: ATSDRIC@cdc.gov

    Link:

    http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/MHMI/mmg96.html#




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    Underemployed Genius Jacqui's Avatar
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    Being a nurse, I've known that it's nasty stuff for several years. We vent the tint units to the outside using low speed fans in the duct work.

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    Exclamation

    Quote Originally Posted by Jacqui
    Being a nurse, I've known that it's nasty stuff for several years. We vent the tint units to the outside using low speed fans in the duct work.
    Jaqui, Your lucky that you could do that.

    How about one of the LC stores that are all located in high class buildings or shopping centers with central air conditioning.

    These people can or could or will be sued for poisioning all the traffic or office emplyoees working in the building for every health problem they will get. The list is to big on the government paper and covers just about everything but cancer, which is not proven yet.

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    Pomposity! Spexvet's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jacqui
    Being a nurse, I've known that it's nasty stuff for several years. We vent the tint units to the outside using low speed fans in the duct work.
    I hope the wind is not blowing my way ;)
    ...Just ask me...

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    Underemployed Genius Jacqui's Avatar
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    Chris wrote:

    "How about one of the LC stores that are all located in high class buildings or shopping centers with central air conditioning."

    I work at a one hour joint in the La Crosse , Wisconsin Mall, there are 3 opticals all without proper vetilation. We're the only one with a decent system

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    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Jubilee's Avatar
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    And our tints sit on a counter top in the open lab with no real ventilation near it. We are also in a free standing store. hmmm...

    Speaking of nasty stuff. I have recently taken to looking more closely at some of the MSDS sheets we have been receiving with our chem shipments. I am taking them to my specialist tomorrow.

    The Gerber coating products can cause an allergic reaction that mimics an asthma attack.

    The polish we use "May cause fever, cough, and increase in white blood cell counts. Breathing of dust may aggrevate asthma and inflammatory or firbrotic pulmonary disease. This applies to liquids also, due to the drying of solution or slurry creating airborne dust."

    The rouges we use like Crystal clear can cause a build up of silicon in the respiratory tract.

    I am beginning to think that my health issues are all related to one simple reason: I am allergic to my job.

    Thanks for the info Chris.

    Cassandra

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    RETIRED JRS's Avatar
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    What manufacturer uses "Ethylene Glycol"? I thought BPI used gycol ether--- which is entirely different.
    J. R. Smith


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    Wow, did not know this.

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    Exclamation You Are Dead Wrong................................

    Quote Originally Posted by JRS
    What manufacturer uses "Ethylene Glycol"? I thought BPI used gycol ether--- which is entirely different.
    GLYCOLS are a whole family of related solvents, and all lens dye manufacturers are selling one or the other. As far as I know there is only one product on the market that is fully water and surfactant based that is giving the same result of removing tints without the toxic fumes being ingested by people working with and around it.

    Actually BPI MSDS sheets, copied from their website, do not mention the hazards when the material is heated, which is the ultimate goal in order to remove dyes from lenses.

    GLYCOL ETHERS

    Glycol ethers are federal hazardous air pollutants and were identified as toxic air contaminants in April 1993 under AB 2728.

    CAS Registry Numbers: See Table I

    Molecular Formulas: See Table I

    Glycol ethers, as defined in the federal Clean Air Act Section 112(b) and listed as “Must Be Quantified for Emissions Inventory” for the Air Toxics “Hot Spots” Program (AB 2588), are diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol diethyl ether, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monopropyl ether, and triethylene glycol dimethyl ether (CAPCOA, 1993). Currently, the inclusion of propylene glycol ethers in the definition of glycol ethers is being debated within the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), but no decisions have been made.

    The whole text can be viewed at:

    http://www.scorecard.org/chemical-profiles/html/glycol_ethers.html

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    Exclamation Protect yourself............................

    Quote Originally Posted by Jubilee
    Speaking of nasty stuff. I have recently taken to looking more closely at some of the MSDS sheets we have been receiving with our chem shipments. I am taking them to my specialist tomorrow.
    Cassandra, All the nasty stuff becomes useful stuff.....when you take the proper precautions. Use lab coat's safety glasses, gloves and if you have toxic fumes use a filtered mask, and you are home free or have some serious health effect down the road.

    Or you can choose to look for newer generation products, which do exist, that do the same job without endangering the health of employees and even customers
    Last edited by Chris Ryser; 05-10-2005 at 11:36 AM.

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    Exclamation Might have to stop using dye pots........................

    Quote Originally Posted by Jacqui
    I work at a one hour joint in the La Crosse , Wisconsin Mall, there are 3 opticals all without proper vetilation. We're the only one with a decent system
    Actually your local, state, or federal health departments could make them shut down their tinting units if they would know that they do not have proper outside vented ventilation hoods over their tinting unit.

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    Wow, I do not have a hood over my unit either. EEEEk.....guess I know what to do next. Maybe that's why I've had a cold for 2 months.

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    Redhot Jumper Live in the middle ages within your four walls.........................

    Quote Originally Posted by shellrob
    Wow, I do not have a hood over my unit either. EEEEk.....guess I know what to do next. Maybe that's why I've had a cold for 2 months.
    Shellrob, you do not need a hood, for less money there are alternatives to the old conservative toxic tinting systems on the market. Just look around on the internet and you will find them. Not only are these alternatives non toxic, they even tint up to a hundred times faster, specially poly and high index lenses and provide a clean. operation.

    Ther are also neutralizers on the market that work in the tinting unit and do NOT emit toxic fumes because they are water and surfactant based.

    So why put your health at risk using products that have been used for 30 years, probably making people sick for years, when there are newer ones available on the market that are of no danger?

    It makes me feel un-easy when you guy's are talking love of your AR coatings and progressive lenses when you live in the middle ages within your own four walls.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Ryser

    Ther are also neutralizers on the market that work in the tinting unit and do NOT emit toxic fumes because they are water and surfactant based.

    So why put your health at risk using products that have been used for 30 years, probably making people sick for years, when there are newer ones available on the market that are of no danger?

    It makes me feel un-easy when you guy's are talking love of your AR coatings and progressive lenses when you live in the middle ages within your own four walls.
    Phantom Research Laboratories sells a water based neutralizer.

    http://www.lenscoloring.com/htm/Solu...utralizers.htm
    Joseph Felker
    AllentownOptical.com

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    Thank you for all the information.

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    Exclamation Get rid of the fumes.............................

    Quote Originally Posted by jofelk
    Phantom Research Laboratories sells a water based neutralizer.

    http://www.lenscoloring.com/htm/Solutions/Neutralizers.htm
    Here is another one.........universal type that works for any type of lens, form Poly to High Index as well as CR39 and emits no toxic fumes.


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    Exclamation Acetone .........................

    Another devil in the optical lab is:

    ACETONE


    1.4 How can acetone enter and leave my body?Your body normally contains some acetone because it's made during the breakdown of fat. Your body will make more acetone from body fat if you are on a low-fat diet. In addition to the acetone that your body makes from normal processes, acetone can enter your body if you breathe air that contains acetone, drink water or eat food that contains acetone, or if you touch liquid acetone or soil that contains acetone.

    The bloodstream absorbs acetone rapidly and completely from the lungs and stomach. The bloodstream can also absorb acetone from the skin, but less rapidly than from the lungs and stomach. Blood carries acetone to all body organs, but it does not stay there very long.

    The liver breaks down acetone to chemicals that are not harmful. The body uses these chemical to make glucose (sugar) and fats that make energy for normal body functions. The breakdown of sugar for energy makes carbon dioxide that leaves your body in the air you breathe out. These are normal processes in the body.

    Not all the acetone that enters your body from outside sources is broken down. The amount that is not broken down leaves your body mostly in the air that you breathe out. You also breathe out more carbon dioxide than normal if you are exposed to acetone from sources outside the body because more carbon dioxide is made from the extra acetone.

    Only a small amount of acetone that is not broken down leaves the body in the urine. The acetone that is not used to make sugar leaves your body within a few days in the air you breathe out and in the urine. The amount of acetone that enters and leaves your body depends on how much you're exposed to and for how long. The higher the level of acetone and the longer that you are exposed will cause acetone to leave your body more slowly, but almost all the acetone will leave your body within 3 days after your exposure stops. If you exercise or work while exposed to acetone in air, more will enter your lungs because you breathe faster and more deeply during exercise.

    1.5 How can acetone affect my health?Low levels of acetone are normally present in the body from the breakdown of fat. The body uses acetone in normal processes that make sugar and fats that make energy for normal body functions. Many conditions can lead to higher-than-average amounts of acetone in the body. For example, babies, pregnant women, diabetics, and people who exercise, diet, have physical trauma, or drink alcohol can have higher amounts of acetone in their bodies. These higher amounts of acetone usually don't cause health problems. In addition, acetone can prevent convulsions.



    Most of the information on how acetone affects human health comes from medical exams of workers on a single workday; from lab experiments in humans exposed to acetone in air for a few days; and from cases of people who swallowed acetone-based glue or fingernail polish remover. Workers and people exposed to acetone in the lab complained that acetone irritated their noses, throats, lungs, and eyes. Some people feel this irritation at levels of 100 ppm acetone in the air, and more people feel the irritation as the level in air increases. The workers who complained of irritation were exposed to levels of 900 ppm or more. Workers exposed to acetone at 12,000 ppm or higher also complained of headache, lightheadedness, dizziness, unsteadiness, and confusion depending on how long they were exposed (from 2 minutes to 4 hours). Two workers exposed for 4 hours became unconscious.

    In addition, some people who had casts applied with acetone were exposed to acetone that evaporated into air during and after the casts were applied. These patients became nauseous, vomited blood, and became unconscious. These cases happened many years ago; modern hospitals have different methods that don't use acetone when casts are applied. Some people exposed to acetone in the air at about 250 ppm for several hours in the lab had headaches and lacked energy, and they also had some mild behavioral effects. These effects showed up in tests of how long it takes to react to a visual stimulus or the ability to hear different sounds. Some people exposed to 500 ppm in the air for several hours in the lab had effects on the blood, but other studies showed no effects on the blood at even higher exposure levels.

    Some women exposed to 1,000 ppm for about 8 hours in a lab said that their periods came earlier than expected. Workers are not usually exposed to levels higher than 750 ppm anymore because of current government regulations. The regulation says workroom air should contain no more than an average of 750 ppm. Most people can smell acetone in the air at 100 to 140 ppm; that means you will probably smell acetone before you feel effects like headache and confusion. Levels of acetone in air in rural areas and in cities (less than 8 ppb) are generally lower than this.

    People who swallowed acetone or substances that contained acetone became unconscious, but they recovered in the hospital. The amount of acetone that these people swallowed was not always known, but one man swallowed about 2,250 milligrams of pure acetone per kilogram of body weight (2,250 mg/kg). In addition to becoming unconscious, he had tissue damage in his mouth and he later developed a limp, which eventually cleared up, and symptoms similar to diabetes (excessive thirst, frequent urination). The amount of acetone in water or food would never be high enough to cause these effects, but people, especially children, could accidentally swallow enough acetone in nail polish remover or some household cleaners to cause such effects.

    In a lab experiment, people who had liquid acetone applied directly on their skin and held there for a half hour developed skin irritation. When the skin was looked at under a microscope, some of the skin cells were damaged.

    Animals briefly exposed to high levels of acetone in the air also had lung irritation and became unconscious; some died. Exposure at lower levels for short periods also affected their behavior. Pregnant animals that were exposed to high levels of acetone in air had livers that weighed more than usual and had fewer fetuses. The fetuses weighed less than normal and had delayed bone development. We do not know how exposure to acetone in air for longer than 2 weeks affects animals.

    Animals given large amounts of acetone to swallow or drink for short periods had bone marrow hypoplasia (fewer new cells being made), degeneration of kidneys, heavier than normal livers and bigger liver cells, and collapse and listlessness. Pregnant mice that swallowed acetone had lower body weights and produced fewer newborn mice. More of the newborns of mice that had swallowed acetone died than newborns of mice that were not given acetone.

    Male rats that swallowed or drank even small amounts of acetone for long periods had anemia and kidney disease. The female rats did not have anemia, but they had kidney disease when they swallowed a much larger amount of acetone than the male rats swallowed. The female rats had livers and kidneys that weighed more than normal, and so did the male rats, but only when they swallowed larger amounts of acetone than the females swallowed. The male rats also had abnormal sperm. The female rats did not have any effects in their reproductive organs. Rats also had signs that acetone caused effects on their nervous systems.

    Acetone is irritating to the skin of animals when it is placed directly on their skin, and it burns their eyes when placed directly in their eyes. One kind of animal (guinea pigs) even developed cataracts in their eyes when acetone was placed on their skin. We do not know whether many of the effects seen in animals would occur in humans. People exposed to acetone were not examined for some effects or could not be examined for effects that can be seen only by looking at internal organs under a microscope. The findings in animals show that male rats are more likely than female rats to get blood and kidney disease and effects on reproductive organs after exposure to acetone. This suggests that men might be more likely to have effects of exposure to acetone than women.

    One effect of acetone seen in animals is an increase in the amount of certain enzymes (chemicals in the body that help break down natural substances in the body and chemicals that enter the body). The increase in these enzymes caused by acetone exposure can make some chemicals more harmful. This is one reason that people should be concerned about being exposed to acetone; exposure is very likely to mixtures of chemicals in the environment, near hazardous waste sites, or in the workplace is very likely.

    Acetone does not cause skin cancer in animals when it is applied to their skin. We don't know whether acetone would cause cancer after breathing or swallowing it for long periods, because no tests have been done. The Department of Health and Human Services and the International Agency for Research on Cancer have not classified acetone for carcinogenic effects. The EPA has determined that acetone is not classifiable as to its human carcinogenicity

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    Exclamation Methanol ...............................

    Methanol

    Assessing Personal Exposure

    • Personal exposure to methanol may be monitored through the measurement of methanol in the blood and measurement of methanol and formic acid in urine. (2)
    Health Hazard Information

    Acute Effects:
    • Acute exposure of humans to methanol by inhalation or ingestion may result in visual disturbances, such as blurred or dimness of vision, leading to blindness. Neurological damage, specifically permanent motor dysfunction, may also result. (1,2,3)
    • Contact of skin with methanol can produce mild dermatitis in humans. (2)
    • Tests involving acute exposure of rats, mice, and rabbits have demonstrated methanol to have low acute toxicity from oral or inhalation exposure, and moderate acute toxicity from dermal exposure. (4)
    Chronic Effects (Noncancer):
    • Chronic inhalation or oral exposure to methanol may result in headache, dizziness, giddiness, insomnia, nausea, gastric disturbances, conjunctivitis, visual disturbances (blurred vision), and blindness in humans. (1,6)
    • Elevated levels of liver enzymes and decreased brain weight were observed in rats chronically exposed to methanol via gavage (experimentally placing the chemical in the stomach). (5)
    • EPA has not established a Reference Concentration (RfC) for methanol. (5)
    • The Reference Dose (RfD) for methanol is 0.5 milligrams per kilogram body weight per day (mg/kg/d) based on increased liver enzymes (SAP and SGPT) and decreased brain weight in rats. The RfD is an estimate (with uncertainty spanning perhaps an order of magnitude) of a daily oral exposure to the human population (including sensitive subgroups) that is likely to be without appreciable risk of deleterious noncancer effects during a lifetime. It is not a direct estimator of risk but rather a reference point to gauge the potential effects. At exposures increasingly greater than the RfD, the potential for adverse health effects increases. Lifetime exposure above the RfD does not imply that an adverse health effect would necessarily occur. (5)
    • EPA has medium confidence in the principal study on which the RfD was based because it was well-designed and provided adequate toxicological endpoints, but the method of administration was not ideal; low confidence in the database because it is weak, lacking data on reproductive, developmental, or other toxicological endpoints; and, consequently, medium confidence in the RfD.
    • The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) has calculated a chronic inhalation reference exposure level of 10 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) based on developmental effects in mice. The CalEPA reference exposure level is a concentration at or below which adverse health effects are not likely to occur. (6)
    Reproductive/Developmental Effects:
    • No information is available on the reproductive or developmental effects of methanol in humans.
    • Developmental effects have been observed in the offspring of rats and mice exposed to methanol by inhalation. These included skeletal, cardiovascular, urinary system, and central nervous system (CNS) malformations in rats and increased resorptions and skeletal and CNS malformations in mice. (1,7)
    Cancer Risk:
    • No information is available on the carcinogenic effects of methanol in humans or animals.
    • EPA has not classified methanol with respect to carcinogenicity. (5)

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    Exclamation Isopropyl Alcohol ..............................

    90% percent of optical lens cleaners are made with ISP = 30% -40% to 60%=70% water.


    ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL



    * OSHA PEL The current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) permissible exposure limit (PEL) for isopropyl alcohol is 400 ppm (980 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m(3))) as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) concentration [29 CFR 1910.1000, Table Z-1].Rationale for Limits The NIOSH limits are based on the risk of mucous membrane irritation;carcinogenic effects [NIOSH 1992].The ACGIH limits are based on the risk of eye, nose, and throat irritation [ACGIH 1991, p. 829].

    HEALTH HAZARD INFORMATION

    * Routes of Exposure Exposure to isopropyl alcohol can occur through inhalation, ingestion, eye or skin contact, and skin absorption [Genium 1993].

    * Summary of toxicology

    1. Effects on Animals: Isopropyl alcohol is an irritant of the eyes and mucous membranes; at high concentrations, it causes central nervous system depression. The oral LD(50) in rats is 5,045 mg/kg, and the lowest lethal inhalation concentration in rats is 12,000 ppm for 8 hours [Sax and Lewis 1989]. The dermal LD(50) in rabbits is 12,800 mg/kg [NIOSH 1991]. Mice exposed to 3250 ppm for 460 minutes developed ataxia, prostration, and narcosis [ACGIH 1991]. Reversible fatty changes were observed in the liver of mice repeatedly exposed to 10,900 ppm of isopropyl alcohol in air for about 4 hours per day [Clayton and Clayton 1982]. Rats exposed orally to 6 mg/kg of isopropyl alcohol showed a significantly increased triglyceride level in the liver [Gosselin 1984]. The application of 0.1 ml of 70 percent isopropyl alcohol in the eye of a rabbit caused conjunctivitis, iritis, and corneal opacity [Hathaway et al. 1991]. In experimental animals, pretreatment with isopropyl alcohol enhanced the acute toxicity of carbon tetrachloride. The metabolite acetone may be responsible for this effect [Hathaway et al. 1991; Clayton and Clayton 1982; Sax and Lewis 1989]. A two-generation reproduction study in rats of isopropyl alcohol's effects showed that the first generation offspring of treated rats had early growth retardation, indicating a fetotoxic but no teratogenic effect [Clayton and Clayton 1982]. Mice exposed by inhalation to 3,000 ppm isopropyl alcohol for 5 days/week, 3 to 7 hours/day for 5 to 8 months did not develop tumors, and isopropyl alcohol skin painting and subcutaneous injection studies in mice also failed to demonstrate tumorigenic activity [Clayton and Clayton 1982].

    2. Effects on Humans: Isopropyl alcohol is an irritant of the eyes and mucous membranes. By analogy with effects seen in animals, it may cause central nervous system depression at very high concentrations [Hathaway et al. 1991]. Exposure to 400 ppm isopropyl alcohol for 3 to 5 minutes resulted in mild irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat; at 800 ppm, these symptoms were intensified [Hathaway et al. 1991]. An oral dose of 25 ml in 100 ml of water produced hypotension, facial flushing, bradycardia, and dizziness [Hathaway et al. 1991]. A postmortem examination in a case of massive ingestion revealed extensive hemorrhagic tracheobronchitis, bronchopneumonia, and hemorrhagic pulmonary edema [NLM 1992]. Prolonged skin contact with isopropyl alcohol caused eczema and sensitivity [Genium 1993]. Delayed dermal absorption is attributed to a number of pediatric poisonings that have occurred following repeated or prolonged sponge bathing with isopropyl alcohol to reduce fever. In several cases symptoms included respiratory distress, stupor, and coma [Hathaway et al. 1991; NLM 1992]. Epidemiological studies suggested an association between isopropyl alcohol and paranasal sinus cancer; however, subsequent analysis suggests that the "strong-acid" process used to manufacture isopropyl alcohol may be responsible for these cancers [ACGIH 1991]. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has concluded that the evidence for the carcinogenicity of this process is adequate but that the evidence for isopropyl alcohol itself is inadequate [IARC 1987].

    * Signs and symptoms of exposure

    1. Acute exposure: Acute exposure to isopropyl alcohol causes eye and mucous membrane irritation and may cause incoordination and narcosis. Ingestion causes gastrointestinal pain, nausea, vomiting, and may cause coma and death. 2. Chronic exposure: Chronic effects of exposure to isopropyl alcohol have not been reported in humans, except for rare instances of eczema and skin sensitization [Sax and Lewis 1989].



    PERSONAL HYGIENE PROCEDURES

    If isopropyl alcohol contacts the skin, workers should flush the affected areas immediately with plenty of water, followed by washing with soap and water.

    Clothing contaminated with isopropyl alcohol should be removed immediately, and provisions should be made for the safe removal of the chemical from the clothing. Persons laundering the clothes should be informed of the hazardous properties of isopropyl alcohol, particularly its potential for causing irritation.

    A worker who handles isopropyl alcohol should thoroughly wash hands, forearms, and face with soap and water before eating, using tobacco products, using toilet facilities, applying cosmetics, or taking medication. Workers should not eat, drink, use tobacco products, apply cosmetics, or take medication in areas where isopropyl alcohol or a solution containing isopropyl alcohol is handled, processed, or stored.

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