Browsing by Subject "Laboratory safety"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    Regulating the unknown: Managing the occupational health risks of nanomedical technologies and nanopharmaceuticals in the research laboratory.
    (2012-02) Ersin, Özlem Hacer
    Novel technologies and their resultant products demand fresh ways of thinking about pre-market risk analysis and post-market surveillance. A regulatory framework that is responsive to emerging knowledge about the hazards of novel technologies offers repeatable and transparent processes and remains economically and socially feasible. Workers are an especially vulnerable population who are exposed to unknown hazards of novel technologies and serve often as unwitting sentinels of impending risks. This Grounded Theory-based case study identifies gaps in our current ability to regulate novel technologies so as to minimize occupational health risks and offers necessary modifications for an environment that is conducive to proper regulation. Nanopharmaceuticals and the nano-based technologies at their base are used by way of exemplar technologies that are currently taxing the ability of the regulatory system to provide adequate oversight. Ambiguities of definition, absence of a tracking system (of who is doing nanotechnology research), and the paucity of scientific evidence to support risk management efforts are among the findings of the study and need to be addressed as ameliorative steps toward an effective regulatory structure.
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    Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): Aquatic Invertebrate Collection, Habitat Assessment, and Laboratory Sample Processing
    (University of Minnesota Duluth, 2013) Dumke, Josh; Brady, Valerie; Hell, Robert V
    This document describes the sample collection and processing procedures used by the Microscopy Laboratory at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s (UMD) Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI), and is a revised version of NRRI/TR-99/37. Prior to any work-related effort, individuals are trained in laboratory safety requirements, project and field safety, and are approved by the department safety officer. For detailed information regarding general laboratory safety and protocols, refer to The University of Minnesota Department of Health and Safety Laboratory Safety Plan (see http://www.nrri.umn.edu/safety/policies.html for documentation). All project personnel are trained in sampling techniques by experienced CWE personnel, made aware of laboratory chemical inventory (Table 1), and sample or process samples only under the supervision of personnel experienced in these sampling techniques until they demonstrate proficiency.