Speaking as a Cal/OSHA retired IH and a member of DCHAS, it seems to me that the multitude of chemicals out there need to be tested for all sorts of endocrine – reproduction as mentioned in a previous note – stimulators, repressors, mimics, and genetic disrupters. 

 

However, it should be noted that no mention has been given about the safe handling of these compounds/molecules and the dangers of not doing so.   Endocrine disrupters have been regulated by Cal/OSHA for a long while now.  It is required that proper PPE, hoods, glove boxes, etc. be used by the nurses, pharmacists, and others while handling and formulating these proven endocrine chemicals.  The safety message needs to be spread to those who may handle all of the powerful chemicals.  So many are careless in doing so and the lives they save may be their own.

 

The message should also be given that other unproven chemicals can be, and probably are, just as potent and possibly deadly or mutagenic or teratogenic as those that are proven.

 

Long live the safety and health programs to protect the knowing as well as the unknowing individuals who make up the constituents of our DCHAS members.

Ken Smith

Retired CIH

 

-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of ACTSNYC**At_Symbol_Here**CS.COM
Sent: Saturday, April 03, 2010 8:05 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Reproductive Health and Safety in a Biotech

 

Much worse is the fact that only a few hundred chemicals out of the more than 140,000 chemicals already registered for use in the European Union have had any type of reproductive or chronic testing at all.  I just got back from safety training in the Netherlands for art conservation lab workers at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.  They are becoming aware that even most of the common chemicals they use are untested.  The new Globally Harmonized Safety Data Sheets say "no data available" when cancer or reproductive tests have not been done.  The Precautionary Principle would suggest pregnant women avoid exposure to a great number of chemicals--not just the few for which there is data indicating they might cause birth defects or reproductive or developmental effects.  Monona Rossol

You will find that, actually, we know very little about which chemicals are hazardous with respect to reproductive human health.  When you think about it of course, you see immediately that it not easy to obtain the necessary information since we cannot experiment with pregnant women or potential fathers as our experimental subjects.  We must resort to using animals and then figure out whether or not the results of such evaluations can be applied directly or in modified form to humans.
 
Good Luck!  You'll need it.
 
Jay Young

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