IS FOR HAZARDS AT HOSPITALS Prepared by

CHEMICAL HAZARDS IN HOSPITALS STERILANT GASES Ethylene oxide ANESTHETIC GASES Enflurane Halotane Isoflurane Nitrous oxide SOLVENTS AND DISINFECTANTS Glutaraldehyde Formaldehyde HAZARDOUS DRUGS Chemotherapy agents and more

AIR SAMPLING OPTION ETHYLENE OXIDE Passive samplers containing Anasorb 747 sorbent coated with hydrobromic acid can be used to assess TWA or STEL exposures. This is the same sorbent specified in OSHA Method 1010 using SKC sorbent tubes (Cat. No ). SKC Cat. No

AIR SAMPLING OPTION ANESTHETIC GASES Enflurane, halothane, and isoflurane can be sampled using sorbent tubes containing Anasorb 747 sorbent to assess short-term (15-minute) or long-term (2-hour) exposures by OSHA Method 103. SKC Cat. No A

AIR SAMPLING OPTION ANESTHETIC GASES SKC Cat. No passive samplers can also be used to screen for anesthetic gases. These samplers have calculated sampling rates for the specific gases and are not experimentally validated. SKC Cat. No

AIR SAMPLING OPTION NITROUS OXIDE A passive sampler containing specially cleaned molecular sieve sorbent has been fully validated for sampling reliability by SKC. Purchase this sampler with or without analysis by SKC. SKC Cat. No

AIR SAMPLING OPTION GLUTARALDEHYDE Cassettes containing 2 glass fiber filters treated with 2,4-DNPH and phosphoric acid can be used at flow rates up to 2 L/min to assess short-term (5-15 minute) or long-term (4-hour) exposures by OSHA Method 64. SKC Cat. No

AIR SAMPLING OPTION FORMALDEHYDE A passive sampler containing a chemically coated tape has been fully validated by OSHA Method Suitable for 15-minute STELs or 8-hour TWA compliance sampling SKC Cat. No

HAZARDOUS DRUGS At this time, there are no NIOSH/OSHA air sampling methods for hazardous drugs. Consult the MSDS and/or contact the drug manufacturer for assistance in evaluating airborne concentrations.

HAZARDOUS DRUGS NIOSH GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS Antineoplastic Agents-Occupational Hazards in Hospitals Preventing Occupational Exposures to Hazardous Drugs

BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS IN HOSPITALS INCLUDES KNOWN STRAINS OF Bacteria Viruses Fungi Other microorganisms ALSO INCLUDES NEW PATHOGENS FOR SARs MRSA Bird Flu

AIR SAMPLING OPTION VIABLE BACTERIA AND FUNGI Viable cascade impactors including the SKC BioStage ® can be used to collect and culture viable samples following NIOSH Methods 0800 and Growth medium (agar) is supplied by the lab in standard culture plates for use with this sampler SKC Cat. No

AIR SAMPLING OPTION VIABLE BACTERIA AND FUNGI The SKC BioStage can be attached directly to the SKC QuickTake ® 30 pump using the mounting bracket. Flow rates of 28.3 L/min for sample times of 5 minutes or less are typically used. SKC Cat. No K

AIR SAMPLING VIRUSES ACGIH reports that air sampling for viruses is not routinely done for indoor air studies. Viruses do not remain long in the environment and do not multiply alone on organic substrates. Research and public health agencies may do air sampling to research transmission of airborne viral diseases. This technique is used by NIOSH during SARs response.

AIR SAMPLING OPTIONS VIRUSES The evaluation method chosen to collect viral samples depends on the virus itself, the environmental conditions, and the analysis techniques available.

SAMPLING FOR MRSA Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is normally found as a surface contaminant. Sterile swabs are typically used for sampling and followed by a growth culture. SKC Cat. No

FOR MORE INFORMATION SKC has an Industry Guide with more details on sampling equipment in the Health Care industry under our TRAINING hot button. See instructions/1755.pdf U.S. OSHA provides valuable information for this industry in their ETools. See etools/hospital/index.html