Hazardous substances pose a risk to both lab and other personnel who may contact the chemicals or animals during:
- Preparation activities
- Animal dosing
- Husbandry activities
- Cleaning cages
- Changing and disposing of bedding
To protect the broad range of individuals with potential exposure, all hazardous substances must be identified in all relevant locations where animal research is conducted including:
- Research labs
- Animal housing
- Cage wash
- Locations where chemicals may be:
- Stored
- Prepared
- Used (i.e. procedure rooms)
Waste Disposal and Collection
- Filling out a Color-Coded Cage Card
- Preparing Animal Waste and Bedding Contaminated with Radioactive Material for Collection
The Hazardous Waste Web page provides procedures for preparing biohazardous and radiological waste for disposal or collection.
Biological Exposure Risks
Biological substances posing a risk to personnel include:
| Biological Substances | Definition |
|---|---|
| Pathogenic Agent | Any material known to harbor organisms or agents capable of infecting human or animal hosts or causing environmental harm if released. |
| Human Source Material | An agent known to be transmissible through contact with human blood, blood products, body fluids, tissue or cells. |
| Recombinant DNA | Nucleic acid molecules formed by laboratory methods, to bring together genetic material from multiple sources, creating sequences that would not otherwise be found in the biological organism. |
| Select Agents | Any substance (viruses, bacterial, and toxins), with the potential of being used as bioweapons or posing significant risk to agriculture or public health. |
For information on dealing with biological exposure risk from bloodborne pathogens, check out Bloodborne Pathogens: First Responder (DVD0045)
Chemical Exposure Risks
Chemical material, posing a risk to personnel, based on the following hazard classifications:
- Acute Toxin
- Antineoplastic or another hazardous drug listed in the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Hazardous Drug List
- Reproductive Hazard
- Mutagen
- Carcinogen
- Target Organ Toxin
- Investigational, Novel, or Experimental Compound
- Environmental Hazard
Radiation Exposure Risks
Occupational radiation exposure includes:
- External exposure to ionizing radiation emitted by radioactive materials
- External exposure from devices that produce x-rays or other forms of ionizing radiation (such as electrons or protons)
- Internal exposure from inhaled, ingested, or absorbed radioactive materials
Color-Coded Cage Cards
To ensure the safe handling of animals containing radioactive material, color-coded cage cards are used to indicate the standardized protocol for animal care. The color-coded cards indicate to animal care takers coming in contact with caged animals as to the level of hazard they might encounter. In order of increasing radiological risk, the color code used are as follows:
| COLOR… | REPRESENTS TO THE CARETAKERS… |
| Green | The amount of radioactive material excreted is minimal and all waste and bedding can be treated as non-radioactive material. |
| Yellow | That caution should be used because the animal and all waste and bedding are radioactive. |
| Red | Not to proceed until they have contacted their ULAM Area Supervisor for further instruction. |
For More Information
For more information about:
- Working with radioactive material in animals, refer to the SOP for Use of Radioactive Material in Animals
- Radiation exposure, refer to the Dosimetry/Bioassay Web Page
- Safety protocols when working with radioactive material, refer to the Radiation Web page
- Cleaning up after a spill of radioactive material, refer to the Radiation, Emergencies Web page
Training and Education
To register for the Radiation Safety Training for Animal Handler course, contact RSS at (734) 647-1143.
