Journal of chemical health & safety最新文献

Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that emits β-rays. Ingesting large doses of tritium can result in significant internal radiation damage to tissues and organs, causing chromosome damage, genomic instability, and even cancer. Therefore, the efficient promotion of tritium excretion and detoxification has become a crucial concern due to the extensive utilization of tritium. Conventional approaches involve administering diuretics and increased water intake, which can shorten the effective half-excretion period by 4 to 6 days. However, diuretic usage may lead to adverse reactions. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicines, such as Paichuanpian and Chahuangjing, have garnered attention for their potential in tritium elimination, with demonstrated low toxicity in animal experiments. Nevertheless, given the limited number of clinical cases involving internal tritium pollution, uncertainties persist regarding their clinical effects and toxicity levels. Hydrogen-rich water provides a simple, safe, nontoxic solution that has demonstrated promising results in antiradiation therapy and the treatment of various diseases. Experimental evidence suggests that hydrogen-rich water can also enhance excretion and detoxification processes while offering antioxidant benefits in animal models exposed to internal tritium. Therefore, it holds potential as an innovative approach for promoting tritium excretion and detoxification. This paper aims to compare the advantages and disadvantages of different measures and medications to provide insights into the development and enhancement of drugs specifically designed for promoting tritium excretion.

This work provides a guide for researchers and practitioners to develop and administer surveys within the context of chemical health and safety research. It discusses the challenges and key factors in developing health and safety surveys, focusing on evidencing validity and reliability in the field of psychometrics. The discussion encompasses survey design, question construction, ethical data collection, and the use of pilot studies for testing. The paper highlights the importance of adhering to the Standards for survey evaluation, advocating for the validity and reliability of survey data akin to accuracy and precision in benchtop applications. This work seeks to enhance the robustness of survey data, thereby reinforcing the foundation upon which chemical health and safety research can advance.

For centuries, intranasal administration has been a perennial fascination for humanity. In recent times, the realm of nanotechnology-based biomaterials has witnessed a notable resurgence. At its epicenter is the concept of “nose-to-brain” delivery, a pivotal strategy within the pharmaceutical landscape aimed at circumventing the challenges of first-pass metabolism and the reticular endothelium system. This innovative approach spans a spectrum of domains, encompassing drug delivery, diagnostics, theranostics, photothermal and photodynamic therapies, bioengineering, and biomedical engineering. To overcome its multifaceted challenges, the pioneering development of novel formulations is paramount, utilizing the potential of mucoadhesive polymers, sol–gel techniques, pH-dependent absorption, and advanced methodologies. The evolution of excipient technologies has, however, raised concerns surrounding nasal irritation, rapid drainage, and systemic toxicity, affecting both established and emerging formulations. Furthermore, the growing interest in comprehending, evaluating, and documenting the toxicity profiles of nanomaterials stems from their vast range of applications across industries. It sheds light on the various toxicological implications arising from the myriad variables in dosage form formulations, including the role of excipients. It is crucial to note that the mishandling of devices designed for nasal formulation administration can significantly contribute to toxicity concerns. Given these notable developments, this comprehensive review aims to provide an exhaustive examination of current knowledge regarding the physiological consequences of intranasal drug delivery systems within the human body.

Strong reducing agents like lithium aluminum hydride (LiAlH₄, LAH) are frequently employed by industry and academic laboratories in syntheses and other research applications. Due to LAH’s reactivity, several laboratory explosions and fires have been documented in the literature and on various EH&S webpages at universities. Some of the accidents were caused by incorrect handling of LAH or by improper chemical processes, such as weighing on regular paper, grinding, and creating friction, using contaminated solvents and glassware, and physically scraping the material during transfers. In many of these cases, researchers did not have access to a guidance document or an SOP for many of these incidents, and no thorough risk assessment was carried out. Academic laboratories can avoid similar accidents and associated property damage by developing a safety guidance document that identifies every facet of LAH manipulation in the experiment, including reaction setup, procedures for weighing and transferring material to the reaction vessel, heating, and cooling during the reaction, quenching the reaction, and waste disposal. This LAH guidance document can be used to produce a manipulation-specific SOP that covers best practices and precautions for a variety of substrates and reaction scales.

This review paper presents an analysis of safety practices in chemical laboratories. It encompasses a systematic exploration of various facets including risk assessment, hazard mitigation, and the implementation of safety protocols. Emphasis is placed on the critical role of continuous education and training, advocating a proactive safety culture, and adapting to technological advancements. Additionally, the paper underscores the importance of adhering to regulatory standards, promoting exceeding baseline compliance toward establishing best practices in laboratory safety. This comprehensive approach highlights the dynamic, multifaceted nature of laboratory safety, positioning it as a fundamental aspect of scientific research.

To safely handle, transport, and store flammable or combustible liquids, such as biodiesel and its blends, it is important to have knowledge of a few physical-chemical properties. The Flash Point is an important one, as it is related to the flammability of the fuel blend. It can be experimentally measured through open cup or closed cup standard procedures. However, due to the usual scarcity of experimental data for multicomponent systems, developing a model to predict flash points of mixtures is of interest. To do so, there are a few possible approaches, which include empirical regression of data, vapor pressure-based methods, and QSPR. When it comes to mixtures, the most popular modeling method is based on vapor pressure, which usually employs LeChatelier’s rule and vapor–liquid equilibria (VLE) calculations to flash point prediction. Generally, a γ–φ approach is adopted to describe the VLE behavior, although some authors have shown interest in φ–φ approaches. In recent years, studies on QSPR for FP prediction of mixtures have evolved, which represents an advance toward more generalized FP prediction models. Additionally, COSMO type models have been gaining attention in FP prediction, usually associated with vapor pressure models or even empirical models. When it comes to biodiesel though, not much progress has been made since 2014, with just a few works being published since then. This paper seeks to review advances made in FP prediction methods for mixtures in general, while giving attention to those involving biodiesel and petro-diesel.

On August 3, 2020, a disastrous explosion demolished the Lanhua Organosilicone Ltd. plant in Xiantao county, China, causing six deaths, four injuries, and a loss exceeding US$2 million. We performed an extensive case study with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and accelerating rate calorimetry (ARC). The calorimetric methodology can obtain thermal hazard data, such as the exothermic onset temperature, enthalpy change, maximum temperature, maximum self-heat rate, maximum pressure, maximum pressure-rising rate, adiabatic temperature rise, and time-to-maximum rate. The ARC assessed a simulation of the incident vessel by storing the product solution of vinyltris(methylethylketoxime)silane with a thermal inertia of 1.87. The thermal runaway phenomena can be scaled up directly to an industrial vessel with good adiabaticity under such low thermal inertia. An official report announced the time of explosion as 33.2 h, which agreed with the ARC-determined time-to-maximum-rate (TMR) of 28.7 h. A (dT dt^–1)_max is as high as 801.4 °C min^–1, revealing that once the decomposition goes through the critical point, the severe thermal runaway cannot be mitigated or hindered effectively. Therefore, the explosion of the process vessel shows that the maximum pressure under thermal decomposition largely exceeded the design pressure of static tank #1 without adequate relief under overpressure. This paper not only provides a lesson learned for producing chemical products using 2-butanone oxime and alkyl silane but also stands as a guide for an inherently safer processes in similar chemical industries.

Global pollution of soil and water supplies due to the leftover dumping of nitroexplosives is a critical issue. Increasing mining and construction activity leads to a significant growth in the trinitrotoluene (TNT) market, making it a lethal contaminant that should be detected early to prevent consumption. Here, in this work, a highly sensitive voltammetric trinitrotoluene (TNT) sensor has been fabricated by modifying a gold electrode (AuE) with a ZnO₂/carbon nanotube (CNT) nanocomposite (ZnO₂/CNT@AuE). The ZnO₂/CNT nanocomposite was synthesized by the coprecipitation method. Morphological and chemical analyses of the synthesized nanostructure was done through different high-end characterization techniques [Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)]. The electrocatalytic reduction behavior of the electrochemical probe, ZnO₂/CNT@AuE, toward TNT was studied in phosphate buffer solution (PBS, pH 7.0) using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. The ZnO₂/CNT nanocomposite deposited on the electrode surface improves the conductivity and active sites for electrocatalytic reduction, significantly enhancing the designed sensor’s performance. The fabricated sensor exhibited an outstanding sensing performance and a rapid response when exposed to TNT with a higher sensitivity (80.53 μA cm^–2 μM^–1) and a lower detection limit (3.4 nM). In addition to the excellent efficacy, the newly developed sensor showed high reproducibility and long-term stability on repeated use. The sensor detects TNT over a wide linear range (4–500 nm) and has good anti-interference capabilities. The ZnO₂/CNT@AuE probe has been applied successfully to detect TNT in real water samples. Moreover, electrochemical applications can be expanded by implementing the present electrochemical strategy.