Medical/Fire - Dial 911
Harvard Police - 617.495.1212
Operations Center - 617.495.5560
Working in a research environment poses inherent risks associated with a variety of potential health and physical hazards.Animals, radiation, human blood and materials, and potentially infectious agents are necessary to investigate diseases and treatments of complex scientific questions. You may be working in an area where chemicals are used during laboratory procedures, procedures where animals may have been exposed to certain chemicals, or maintenance activities. Familiarize yourself with all the hazards before beginning work. Speak with your upervisor, your safety coordinator, or the Environmental Health and Safety Department. Refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) before working with any new chemical.MSDSs are available on the Environmental Health and Safety DepartmentWeb Page, or from the manufacturer. What follows are some hazards which may be found in the various worksites throughout Harvard University.
NOTE: According to the OSHA Laboratory Safety Standard, you must work with highly and acutely toxic chemicals and gases, reproductive toxins, and select carcinogens only in designated areas posted for the use of these chemicals. You must develop specific safety procedures for working with and disposing of the chemicals and decontaminating the area after use.
Carcinogens are chemicals which cause cancer and meet specific criteria of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the National Toxicology Program, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). (Examples: acrylamide, formaldehyde,methylene chloride, ethylene oxide, benzene, antineoplastic drugs)
Corrosives cause visible destruction of, or irreversible alterations in, living tissue by chemical action at the site of contact. (Examples: hydrochloric, phosphoric, nitric, sulfuric, formic, trichloroacetic, and glacial acetic acid)
Irritants are chemicals which cause a reversible inflammatory effect on living tissue by chemical action at the site of contact. (Examples: acetonitrile formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, dimethylformamide, methylene chloride, acetic acid)
Sensitizers are chemicals that cause a substantial proportion of exposed people to develop an allergic reaction in normal tissue after repeated exposure to the chemical. (Examples: formaldehyde, benzoyl chloride, phthalic anhydride)
Highly and acutely toxic chemicals and gases, according to OSHA, “may be fatal or cause damage to target organs as a result of a single exposure or exposure of short duration.” (Examples: hydrogen flouride, sodium azide, cyanide salts, osmium textroxide)
Combustible liquids pose a physical hazard because they burn fairly easily.Although their flashpoint (>100°F) is higher than flammables, combustibles are prevalent in almost any work setting, and they can be just as dangerous. (Examples: phenol, acetic acid, dimethylformamide, vinyl toluene, aniline)
Compressed Gases are stored in cylinders under significant pressure and pose a physical hazard, because they can erupt if they are improperly stored or handled. (Examples: oxygen, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, hydrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, air)
Flammables are inherently hazardous because they readily burn.A flammable liquid has a flashpoint below 100°F. (Examples: acetone, acetic acid, pyridine,most alcohols, terahydrofuran,methylene chloride, diethyl ether, n-hexane). Flammable solids (picric example, benzoyl peroxide) and flammable gases (carbon monoxide, hydrogen, propane, acetylene) have specific flammable properties as well.
Organic Peroxides are powerful oxidizers than can react with many chemicals to cause fire and explosion. (Examples: diethyl ether, benzoyl peroxide, aldehydes)
Oxidizers initiate or promote combustion in other materials, thereby causing fire to itself or through the release of oxygen or other gases. They can cause other substances, like flammables, to burn more readily. (Examples: chromic acid, nitric acid, peroxides,many perchlorates, chlorine, fluorine, oxygen)
Pyrophoric chemicals ignite spontaneously in air at a temperature of 130°F (54.4°C) or below. (Examples: potassium metal, certain finely divided metals, organoaluminum compounds)
Unstable (Reactive) chemicals are dangerous chemicals that in a pure state, or as commonly produced or transported,will vigorously olymerize, decompose, condense, or become self-reactive under conditions of shock, pressure or temperature. (Examples: benzoyl peroxide, isopropyl ether, ethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, t-butyl hydroperoxide, isopropyl percarbonate)
Explosives are a specific type of reactive chemical that cause a sudden, almost instantaneous release of pressure, gas, and heat when subjected to sudden shock, pressure, or high temperature. (Examples: organic azides, nitroso & diazo compounds, peroxides formed during storage of chemicals such as diethyl ether & dioxane)
Water reactive chemicals react with water to release heat or flammable, toxic gas, or present another health hazard. (Examples: sodium metal, potassium hydride, acid anydrides)
Skin Hazards affect the dermal layer of the body. (Examples: hydrofluoric acid, acrylamide, formaldehyde, xylene)
Some agents are characterized by target organs affected:
Eye Hazards affect the eye or visual capacity. (Examples: ormaldehyde, acrylamide, acetonitrile, peracetic acid)
Hematopoetic toxins affect blood formation, decrease hemoglobin function, and may deprive body tissues of oxygen. (Examples: benzene, xylene, inorganic lead, arsine, xylene)
Hepatotoxins produce liver damage. (Examples: phenol, chloroform, methylene chloride, xylene, carbon disulfide)
Lung Hazards irritate or amage pulmonary tissue. (Examples: nitric acid, acrolein, sulfuric acid, nitrogen dioxide)
Nephrotoxins produce kidney damage. (Examples: mercury compounds, xylene, chloroform)
Neurotoxins produce their primary toxic effects on the nervous system. (Examples: mercury compounds, acrylamide, n-hexane, benzene)
Reproductive toxins affect the reproductive capabilities including chromosomal damage (mutations) and effects on fetuses (teratogenesis). (Examples: acrylamide, dimethyl formamide, nitrous oxide)
You may receive packages containing the following hazard classes and bearing these labels:
You must be aware of the hazards associated with the material. If you need to package, ship, or transport dry ice or any of these hazardous materials or dangerous goods, federal law requires that you receive training and that you ship according to national and international laws.
Please contact the EHS Department for more information, training, or technical assistance.
