1. IS FOR HAZARDS AT HOSPITALS
SKC is pleased to provide
elp in sampling for
target compounds. H

2. COMMON CHEMICAL HAZARDS IN HOSPITALS
ANESTHETIC GASES
Halothane, Isoflurane
Desflurane, Enflurane
Sevoflurane
STERILANT GASES
Ethylene Oxide
STERILANT LIQUIDS
Glutaraldehyde
Hydrogen Peroxide
Peracetic acid
SOLVENTS
Formaldehyde

3. ANESTHETIC GASES DEFINING THE HAZARD
U.S. NIOSH has published a document that describes the occupational hazards of waste anesthetic gases in hospitals.
See

4. NIOSH DEFINES THE WORKERS POTENTIALLY EXPOSED
Workers in operating facilities with no automatic ventilation or scavenging systems or operating facilities where these systems are in poor condition
Workers in recovery rooms where gases exhaled by recovering patients are not properly vented or scavenged  

5. ANESTHETIC GASES ACTIVE SAMPLING METHODS
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 A

6. ANESTHETIC GASES PASSIVE SAMPLING METHOD
SKC research chemists have validated the use of SKC diffusive sampler containing 500 mg of Anasorb 747 to sample the halogenated anesthetic gases.
SKC

7. ANESTHETIC GASES SKC PASSIVE SAMPLER VALIDATION
The SKC was fully validated for
isoflurane and halothane and partially validated for desflurane, enflurane, and sevoflurane.
See the complete validation report at

8. STERILANT GASES DEFINING THE HAZARD
Ethylene oxide (EtO) gas sterilizers have been used by hospitals for many years to sterilize surgical equipment and supplies that cannot tolerate excessive heat, moisture, or abrasive chemicals.
NIOSH has a criteria document on this topic at

9. ETHYLENE OXIDE ACTIVE SAMPLING METHOD
Ethylene oxide can be
sampled using sorbent
tubes containing
chemically coated Anasorb
747 sorbent to assess
short-term (15-minute) or
long-term (4-hour)
exposures by
OSHA Method 1010.
SKC

10. ETHYLENE OXIDE PASSIVE SAMPLING METHOD
Passive samplers
containing the same sorbent
specified in OSHA 1010 can be
used to assess TWA or
short-term exposures.
The validation done by SKC
chemists can be reviewed at
SKC

11. STERILANT LIQUIDS DEFINING THE HAZARD
New chemical agents are now being used to sterilize surgical tools, diagnostic instruments, and surfaces.
NIOSH recently published a report on a hospital cleaner containing multiple chemical agents that has caused health effects on exposed workers. See
LSO

12. GLUTARALDEHYDE ACTIVE SAMPLING METHOD
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 to15 minute) or long-term (4-hour)
exposures by OSHA
Method 64.
SKC

13. GLUTARALDEHYDE PASSIVE SAMPLING METHOD
The SKC UMEX 100 passive sampler that contains a chemically coated tape can be used to sample glutaraldehyde using a calculated sampling rate of 14 ml/min.
SKC

14. HYDROGEN PEROXIDE ACTIVE SAMPLING METHOD
U.S. OSHA released Method 1019 in 2016 for the collection of hydrogen peroxide using chemically coated filters SKC
This was a welcome replacement to previous methods using impingers.

15. PERACETIC ACID ACTIVE SAMPLING METHOD
There is no U.S. agency sampling method available at this time for peracetic acid.
SKC supplies a chemically coated silica gel tube to meet the requirements of a French agency method. SKC UC or UC.
The flow rate of 1 L/min is critical in achieving reliable results.
Given the high pressure drop of the sample media, heavy duty pumps such as the SKC AirChek Touch or XR5000 should be used.

16. SOLVENTS DEFINING THE HAZARD
There can be a large number of various solvents in hospital laboratories and research facilities.
Formaldehyde is used principally as a water-based solution called formalin and is a bactericide, tuberculocide, fungicide, virucide, and sporicide. 

17. FORMALDEHYDE ACTIVE SAMPLING METHODS
There are a number of agency methods using sorbent
tubes for formaldehyde:
OSHA 52 using coated XAD-2 tubes SKC (TWAs) or (STELs)
NIOSH 2541 using coated XAD-2 tubes SKC
NIOSH 2016 using coated silica gel tubes SKC

18. FORMALDEHYDE PASSIVE SAMPLING METHOD
The SKC UMEX 100
passive sampler has been validated by OSHA Method 1007 for 15-minute STELs or 8-hour TWA compliance sampling.
Note: OSHA requires
that active sampling be done when the source of formaldehyde is formalin due to chemistry reasons.
SKC

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

20. AIR SAMPLING FOR VIABLE BACTERIA AND FUNGI
The SKC BioStage is a single-stage cascade impactor used to collect viable samples following NIOSH Methods 0800 and 0801.
Growth medium (agar) in standard culture plates is supplied by an environmental microbiology lab for use with this sampler.
SKC

21. PUMP PARTNER FOR THE SKC BIOSTAGE
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 K

22. SPECIAL NOTE ON SAMPLING FOR 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 was used by NIOSH during the SARs response.

23. 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.

24. SAMPLING FOR MRSA
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is normally found as a surface contaminant.
Sterile swabs are typically used for sampling followed by growth culture.
SKC

25. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
SKC appreciates your interest in our online training tools.
Please preview all the training options in the SKC Technical Library at