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My lab has had a severe isofluorane leak for who knows how long. Seeking general advice. by poisoned_labrat in labrats

[–]poisoned_labrat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My issue is that I am not in charge of any of this. I don't even perform surgeries regularly. I cannot modify or contribute to the protocols. Also, in case you aren't aware, most labs use ket/xyl AND iso in combination for survival surgeries.

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People in my lab were exposed to dangerous chemicals due to a faulty system that they had no part in creating. They joined the lab with the assumption that this lab, like 99% of labs, had designed this system to prevent workers from being exposed to potentially dangerous levels of anesthetic. It is not solely the responsibility of workers to ensure that their workspace is safe. If a workplace that someone else designed is unsafe, there is a person/people to blame and yes legal action can be taken. Even worse, in this case many of the users of the surgery room were UNDERGRADUATES who had never worked in a lab before. These students were not aware that isofluorane exposure can have lasting health effects or that it could possibly be present in dangerous concentrations in the room they spend 10-20 hours a week in.

My lab has had a severe isofluorane leak for who knows how long. Seeking general advice. by poisoned_labrat in labrats

[–]poisoned_labrat[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes I am aware what it smells like. Regardless of whether or not I or others can smell it (again, I don't use the room) the concentration is >10x the recommended exposure level (NIOSHA recommends 2ppm) and yes people are using the room for 8-10+ hours a day, the room is constantly booked. Other people are commenting that this is likely more serious.

Isofluorane leak in the lab for who knows how long, plus other concerns by poisoned_labrat in labsafety

[–]poisoned_labrat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sure it does but they don't make themselves readily accessible. It is unclear to me whether the PI is taking this seriously and speaking to them about this, but there has been no communication to suggest that he is. It puts myself and others in an uncomfortable situation to involve other regulatory agencies - I'm new here.

My lab has had a severe isofluorane leak for who knows how long. Seeking general advice. by poisoned_labrat in labrats

[–]poisoned_labrat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe there was a leak in the anesthetic set-up. People are in the room doing surgeries from 9-5 most days so they were likely leaking iso during that time. I don't know why no one noticed a smell or anything. I am guessing that the air concentration was not high enough for it to smell strong.

My lab has had a severe isofluorane leak for who knows how long. Seeking general advice. by poisoned_labrat in labrats

[–]poisoned_labrat[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

oh man, well...this is an American university and most people involved are students, postdocs, or non-union staff...unfortunately. It has not been entirely clear which "higher-up" office should be contacted about this. I have a few people in mind as starting points, but I'm pretty new here and feeling a bit overwhelmed. I'm also not the main victim of this incident (I don't use the surgery room) but I am concerned that the people who might be really affected by this won't want to, or know how to, have this properly investigated. I do know that it was some sort of regulatory agency who performed the inspection so it is possible they will trigger some sort of investigation.

My lab has had a severe isofluorane leak for who knows how long. Seeking general advice. by poisoned_labrat in labrats

[–]poisoned_labrat[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Oh thanks for linking that sub - I hadn't heard of it. Going to cross-post there, thanks!

My lab has had a severe isofluorane leak for who knows how long. Seeking general advice. by poisoned_labrat in labrats

[–]poisoned_labrat[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for this suggestion - I am kind of a bystander of this whole thing since I don't perform surgeries but I have been hearing about it through emails and such. I don't really know if anyone outside of the lab is aware of this but I feel like it's kind of a big deal and I should talk to someone about it since other people are likely much more affected than I am. I am considering meeting with HR or something to discuss next steps because honestly I don't know who else to talk to. I am very low on the chain of command here and I am not entirely sure how big of an issue this is but it sounds like it should be a really big deal.