UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
DEPARTMENT OF PATHOLOGY

Biosafety Manual
Chemical Hygiene

ALL Faculty and Staff must obtain Bloodborne Pathogens Training on an annual basis. A web-based training session is available if a live session has been taken previously. EH&S holds a live training session monthly (http://www.ehs.pitt.edu). A web-based training session is available if the session has been taken previously. To access the web-based training go to the Internet-Based Studies in Education and Research page and under the "Education Modules" go to Module 10.

It is important to know about all chemical reagents in the lab. This includes reading the specification sheet and labels of all products used. Every chemical is accompanied by an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). The lab should have a folder of MSDS sheets of all chemicals that are used. It is important to keep this up to date. In addition, information about chemicals including MSDS sheets can be accessed on the World Wide Web.

The Environmental Health & Safety Office is to be contacted, in the event of an emergency and for general information.

General Guidelines for Handling Chemicals

1. Wear gloves when working with all chemicals.
   
   
2. Store chemicals properly. Information can be obtained from the reagent labels. Generally flammable items are stores in a flammable cabinet. Chemicals that emit fumes should be kept under a hood.
   
   
3. Know how old all reagents are. It is wise to write the date that the reagent bottle was opened.
   
   
4. Understand molarity and molality as these are measures of concentration.
   
   
5. Wear a filter mask when working with fine powders and very toxic chemicals that can be inhaled.