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OEH&S Campus Program
Chemical Carcinogen
Program
Overview: Determine
if known or suspected carcinogens are in your inventory, and
find
out how
to handle and store them safely.
Strict laws govern research use of materials known or suspected to be carcinogenic.
Check the listings below to find out if your inventory includes known or
suspected carcinogens. Then, follow the appropriate handling procedure if
a chemical you intend to use is a known or suspected carcinogen.
Handling procedures for known or suspected carcinogens:
If you have questions, please contact your
Department Safety Advisor (DSA).
How
to Handle Known Human Carcinogens
Summary: You must follow these procedures when handling substances
regulated by California
Occupational Safety & Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) or listed by the National Toxicology Program (NTP) as "Known
to Be Human Carcinogens." (PDF)
If you're working with suspect carcinogens, see How
to Handle Suspect Human Carcinogens and then complete the following checklist:
| Checklist |
What to do |
• |
Contact EH&S for health and safety guidance. |
- Contact your DSA for guidance on safe
usage when a project involves a known human carcinogen.
- Medical surveillance
and additional actions may be needed, including:
- Documentation
of the quantities of the carcinogen used
- Worksite air
sampling or other testing conducted by EH&S
- Medical
testing as prescribed by a physician
|
• |
Prepare to handle known human carcinogens. |
- Follow all procedures for working with suspect human
carcinogens.
- Read How
to Handle Suspect Human Carcinogens.
Follow the rest of the steps in this checklist.
- Use engineering
controls, such as a fume hood.
- Use personal
protection equipment:
- Gloves, safety glasses, and a lab coat are required.
- Use disposable sleeve protectors and disposable lab
coat or smock, as appropriate.
- Follow emergency procedures
for exposure and spills.
- Follow proper waste disposal
procedures.
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• |
Designate secure storage and work areas.
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- Control access to designated carcinogen
storage and work areas.
- Store carcinogens in
a secure area.
- Use carcinogen stickers to label storage
and work areas where known carcinogens are used.
- Request
carcinogen stickers from your DSA.
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• |
Perform work in a "controlled area." |
A controlled area is a lab, portion of a lab, chemical fume
hood, or glove box designated for use of known carcinogens.
- Access to the controlled area is prohibited.
- Make everyone
in the lab aware of the hazards and the precautions to
take during carcinogen use.
- Use appropriate filters to protect
lab vacuum pumps used with a carcinogen.
- Control the spread of powdered chemical carcinogens by using a glove box,
not a fume hood.
- If you use a glove box, follow these guidelines:
- Ventilate
the glove box with at least two volume changes per
hour.
- Adjust the pressure inside the glove box at
least 0.5 inches of water gauge lower than
outside (negative
pressure).
- If vapors are released, they
must be exhausted into a chemical fume hood or
trapped using
a method approved
by your DSA.
- When your work with the
carcinogen is completed, follow these steps:
- Remove
all protective clothing and immediately wash your hands,
forearms,
face, and neck.
- Dispose of any
contaminated disposable protective apparel or equipment
as hazardous waste, clearly
labeled as carcinogenic.
- Thoroughly
wash non-disposable apparel and equipment before
removing it from
the controlled
area.
- Thoroughly clean all
surfaces in the controlled area before
removing
the carcinogen
warning
sign and resuming
other work.
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• |
Immediate Release |
NOTIFY DSA OF ANY RELEASE:
- Beyond immediate work area
- Causing personal injury
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• |
Dispose of hazardous waste properly. |
- For storage and disposal of hazardous chemical
waste refer to:
- UCSF Chemical Safety Manual
- OEH&S On-line Tag Program http://otp.ucsf.edu
- Send hazardous (chemical) waste disposal notification by logging on to your account.
- Select the containers as ready for disposal.
- Contact your DSA if you have
questions about hazardous waste.
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Notice: Disposal of hazardous waste using sinks,
intentional evaporation, or as regular trash is against the law.
Campus laboratories must abide by strict state and federal waste
disposal requirements. You may be held liable for violations of applicable
laws.
If you have questions, please contact your Department Safety Advisor
(DSA).
How
to Handle Suspect Human Carcinogens
Summary: You must follow these procedures when
handling substances listed by the National Toxicology Program (NTP)
as "Reasonably
Anticipated to Be Human Carcinogens." (PDF)
- Read Chemical
Carcinogen Program to learn how to determine
if your material is a suspect human carcinogen.
If you're handling known carcinogens, see How
to Handle Known Human Carcinogens and then complete the following
checklist:
| Checklist |
What to do |
|
|
Follow all appropriate procedures.
Contact EH&S for health and safety guidance.
|
If the work involves animal subjects, contact IACUC, then follow
the steps below.
Contact the your DSA for guidance on safe usage when a project
involves a known human carcinogen
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•
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Follow these training guidelines. |
A principal investigator (PI) or a knowledgeable
designee must provide appropriate safety training.
- Inform employees about handling the drug or chemical, its physical properties
(including solubility), and health effects seen in
experimental studies and other applicable sources.
- Review
toxicological data from similar compounds if toxicological
information is limited.
- Explain possible routes
of exposure, as appropriate:
- Inhalation
- Skin absorption
- Accidental injection
- Provide and train employees in
the proper use of personal protective equipment and
engineering controls
to prevent exposure.
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•
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Wear personal protective equipment.
|
- Wear safety glasses and full length
lab coat.
- Protect your hands and forearms by wearing non-powdered
gloves and a lab coat to avoid skin contact. Do not expose
skin
between your gloves and forearms.
- Wash your hands and arms immediately after
working with the substance.
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•
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Protect your respiratory system. |
Use appropriate containment if aerosols may be created during
the work, or if the substance is volatile.
- Perform the work inside a chemical
fume hood.
- If a sterile work area is needed, a vented biosafety
cabinet is required. Contact your DSA for guidance.
- If
vapors will be released from the apparatus, attach a trap,
filter, or condenser as appropriate.
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•
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Minimize the risk of spill and exposure by following these work area precautions. |
- Restrict
access to the work area.
- Keep container sizes and quantities in the work
area as small as possible.
- Line work surfaces with removable
plastic-backed absorbent paper.
- Double-contain suspect
carcinogens in chemical-resistant trays.
- Contain lab instruments
within pans or trays to contain spills.
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Dispose of hazardous waste properly. |
- For storage and disposal of hazardous
chemical waste refer to:
- UCSF Chemical Safety Manual
- OEH&S On-line Tag Program http://otp.ucsf.edu
- Send hazardous (chemical) waste disposal notification by logging on to your account.
- Select the containers as ready for disposal.
- Contact your DSA if you
have questions about hazardous waste.
|
Notice: Disposal of hazardous waste using sinks, intentional evaporation,
or as regular trash is against the law. Campus laboratories must
abide by strict state and federal waste disposal requirements. You
may be held liable for violations of applicable laws.
If you have questions, please contact your Department Safety Advisor
(DSA).
Animal Experiments
Using Known or Suspect Carcinogens
Summary: You must follow these procedures for animal
experiments using:
| Checklist |
What to do |
|
|
Follow all appropriate procedures. |
Read Chemical
Carcinogen Overview to learn how to determine
if the substance you intend to use is a known or suspect carcinogen.
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•
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Obtain required approvals before beginning
work.
|
- For use of known carcinogens request prior approval from:
- Environment, Health & Safety's chemical safety
officer, (415) 476-0964.
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•
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Follow these training guidelines.
|
A principal investigator (PI) or a knowledgeable
designee must provide appropriate safety training.
- Inform employees about handling the drug or chemical,
its physical properties (including solubility), and health
effects seen
in experimental studies and other applicable sources.
- Review toxicological data from similar compounds if
toxicological information is limited.
- Explain possible
routes of exposure as appropriate:
- Inhalation
- Skin absorption
- Accidental injection
- Provide and train employees in
the proper use of personal protective equipment and
engineering controls to prevent
exposure.
- Call LARC department office at 476-9481 to provide Animal
Care staff with a summary of the training
information.
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•
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Label containers and cages. |
- Label all containers with the following
information:
- Name of the material
- Concentration
- Warnings
- Protective measures
- Date, when appropriate
- Preparer's initials, when
appropriate
- Label animal cages with the appropriate
hazard communication information below for the first
48 hours
following administration of dosing solutions:
- "Warning: Cancer Agent"
- "Caution: Cancer Suspect Agent" "Caution: Hazardous Chemical/ Drug"
Maintain the signage following this initial period, according
to this criteria:
- Aqueous dosing solutions – Once
the bedding has been changed,
the warning sign can be removed.
- Oil-soluble dosing solutions – Maintain
the signage for 96 hours.
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Take these safety precautions when administering
the substance. |
- Injection or
gavage: Use syringes and intravenous sets with Luer-lock
fittings, if possible, when material is given via injection
or gavage.
- Perform priming into a sterile, alcohol-dampened
gauze
sponge.
- Do not prime sets or syringes into the
sink or any open receptacle.
- All animals must be housed
in micro-isolator cages.
- Diet: Use a closed-caging system
if the substance must be administered in the diet. Mix
all diets
containing the hazardous material
in closed containers inside a chemical fume hood
or Class II Type A2 (vented) biosafety cabinet.
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•
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Dispose of hazardous waste properly. |
Animal bedding, waste, and water — in addition to
waste chemicals —may be subject to hazardous waste
disposal requirements.
- For storage and disposal of hazardous chemical
waste refer to:
- UCSF Chemical Safety Manual
- OEH&S On-line Tag Program http://otp.ucsf.edu
- Send hazardous (chemical) waste disposal notification by logging on to your account.
- Select the containers as ready for disposal.
- Contact your DSA
if you have questions about hazardous waste.
|
Notice: Disposal of hazardous waste using sinks,
intentional evaporation, or as regular trash is against the law.
Campus laboratories must abide by strict state and federal waste
disposal requirements. You may be held liable for violations of applicable
laws.
If you have questions, please contact your Department Safety Advisor
(DSA).
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