James,

Table top exercises to share procedures seems a great idea!

First:  We’re not doctors & we don’t give medical advice or make personal health decisions for young adults. It’s always the student’s choice whether to seek/accept medical care.

1. A student gets splashed with some concentrated sulfuric acid while wearing gloves, goggles and a lab coat. There is some on their cheek and chin and it burns, they are immediately taken to the eye wash and the areas are flushed for 15 minutes, it still burns and is slightly red. After another 15 minutes of flushing the student still feels slight discomfort.

• Do you worry about scarring on the face and do you mention it to the exposed individual?
• Do you send them to the emergency room by ambulance?

I would recommend medical evaluation for any student who has had acid in/near the eye.

If it was in the eye, the paramedics would be on their way during the first 15-minute flush.

If I thought there might be scarring, I’d strongly encourage the student to discuss it with medical personnel.

 

2. A student splashes some nitric acid on their thighs and it has wetted their jeans, in a short time it becomes itchy and burns, the student goes to the bathroom and removes the contaminated clothing and decontaminates [in] the sink with wet paper towels. The jeans are washed in the sink and are abraded where the acid made contact. The student is fine and wants to return to work but has no clothing for their legs. Do you:

• Issue a Tyvek suit and allow them to return to work?
• Send them to the ER by ambulance?
• Call their emergency contact and ask them to come and pick them up?

AAAgHHgg!! Why was the student allowed to leave lab to deal with contaminated clothing??? What was the TA/instructor thinking????? AAAgHHgg!!

All contamination incidents should be kept in lab & dealt with in lab. If privacy is an issue, the rest of the students can wait in the hall.

 

The jeans are toast, if not hazardous waste. We keep a supply of medical-style scrub pants (from the thrift stores) for this problem. I lend one out 2 or 3 times a year. Most return washed the next day with thanks. Disposables are also available. A Tyvek suit would work.

 

Returning to work is decided by whether there is an injury that needs attention. We can always assist a student in seeking medical attention, if that will quiet a worried mind. I doesn’t sound necessary here, but I would never say that to the student; see line 1, above.

Ambulance seems overkill. During the day, we can walk to Student Health or us an electric cart service on campus if needed.

 

 

 

1. (hypothetical) A student gets splashed with some concentrated sulfuric acid while wearing gloves, goggles and a lab coat. There is some on their cheek and chin and it burns, they are immediately taken to the eye wash and the areas are flushed for 15 minutes, it still burns and is slightly red. After another 15 minutes of flushing the student still feels slight discomfort.

·         Do you worry about scarring on the face and do you mention it to the exposed individual?

·         Do you send them to the emergency room by ambulance?

2. (hypothetical) A student splashes some nitric acid on their thighs and it has wetted their jeans, in a short time it becomes itchy and burns, the student goes to the bathroom and removes the contaminated clothing and decontaminates the sink with wet paper towels. The jeans are washed in the sink and are abraded where the acid made contact. The student is fine and wants to return to work but has no clothing for their legs. Do you:

·         Issue a Tyvek suit and allow them to return to work?

·         Send them to the ER by ambulance?

·         Call their emergency contact and ask them to come and pick them up?

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