Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Chemical Exposure!

Chemical Exposure!

Stadtjunky - 20-5-2010 at 10:09

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to read this! I'm student chemist (only 21), and last week I got exposed to alot of methyl iodide when I spilt some dissolved in DCM onto my hand, although I was wearing nitrile gloves I think the chemical passed straight through, I had some skin irritation the next day. Now, after reading up so much about MeI, I'm paranoid that I'll get cancer. Am I being reasonable in worrying about getting cancer because of this exposure?

I seen a doctor, he says it's extremely unlikely, but isn't it also extremely unlikely that someone would have this sort of accident?

Many, many thanks,

John

The WiZard is In - 20-5-2010 at 10:25

Quote: Originally posted by Stadtjunky

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time to read this! I'm student chemist (only 21), and last week I got exposed to alot of methyl iodide when I spilt some dissolved in DCM onto my hand, although I was wearing nitrile gloves I think the chemical passed straight through, I had some skin irritation the next day. Now, after reading up so much about MeI, I'm paranoid that I'll get cancer. Am I being reasonable in worrying about getting cancer because of this exposure?

I seen a doctor, he says it's extremely unlikely, but isn't it also extremely unlikely that someone would have this sort of accident?

Many, many thanks,

John

I have a hard time believing this. There was no warning label
on the bottle it came in?!

You could have called your local Poison Control Center
they would have told you that in three week the last 3-inches of
your Wa-hooo hoo is going to fall off. Look at the bright side
that better then the first 3-inches falling off.

Good the the library - you know the building with all the books
and pull down the latest edition of Sax's Dangerous Properties
of Industrial Materials.

I'll save you the trouble of looking it up in the index. Methyl iodine
is MKW200.

[Edited on 20-5-2010 by The WiZard is In]

[Edited on 20-5-2010 by The WiZard is In]

Picric-A - 20-5-2010 at 10:31

The chances are youll be fine- carcinogenity/mutations only occur after repeated exposure, ie, somebody working in a factory producing the stuff.
That being said, you can never be too carefull, regular visits to a GP will help you catch any cancer early, IF it does happen (which is HIGHLY unlikely).
your good to be cautious.

Stadtjunky - 20-5-2010 at 10:36

Quote: Originally posted by The WiZard is In

Quote: Originally posted by Stadtjunky

I was aware off how dangerous this chemical is, but it was an accident that was not my fault, but someone elses.

woelen - 20-5-2010 at 10:37

I agree with Picric-A. A single exposure to this chemical, only on the skin of your hand, and also diluted with another much more benign chemical, is not a real problem.

Think of it as smoking cigarettes. Everybody knows that this is bad for your health, but smoking a single cigarette does not cause cancer. It is repeated smoking for long periods of time which causes health problems.

Ozonelabs - 20-5-2010 at 11:14

I would say that you're very likely to be fine.

Woelen is spot on about the idea of cigarette smoking- just think about the benzene in petrol, the amount that you probably smell every time you fill your car up etc. one exposure really shouldn't be a huge issue. If you were spilling on your hand every day for a years then yes, you certainly would (probably) have something to worry over.

As it is, dont worry, you'll be fine, go analyse your reaction product

The WiZard is In - 20-5-2010 at 13:23

Quote: Originally posted by Stadtjunky

Just be glad it was not dimethy mercury!

HANOVER, N.H., June 10 [1997] - A Dartmouth College chemistry
professor has died from exposure to a rare form of mercury, first
synthesized more than 130 years ago.

Karen E. Wetterhahn, 48, who also had served as an associate
dean and a dean at the college, died on Sunday, about 10 months
after accidentally spilling a few drops of dimethylmercury on her
disposable latex gloves while performing a laboratory
experiment. The substance, which has no practical application, is
used in research on heavy metals.

----
Karen E. Wetterhahn was a professor of chemistry at Dartmouth
College and the founding director of Dartmouth's Toxic Metals
Research Program. An expert in the mechanisms of metal toxicity,
Professor Wetterhahn was best known for her research on
chromium. She became ill and died in 1997, at the age of 48, as a
result of a tragic laboratory accident involving a highly toxic
mercury compound.

http://tinyurl.com/23oenoe

Well .... professional pilots fly planes into the ground and
granite clouds ....

djh
----
An extended gliding
spiral is called a crash.

zed - 20-5-2010 at 14:48

Well, Karen is out there flying with squadrons of other dead chemists. Technically, many of them, didn't actually make any mistakes. When you are exploring a wild, dangerous, largely uncharted territory, shit happens.

Ode to the unknown chemical.....

Last night I had a dream....
You were in it: I was in it with you
Everyone that I knew
And everyone that you know was in my dream
I saw a vampire
I saw a ghost
Everybody scared me but you sacred me the most

In the dream I had last night
In the dream I had last night
In my dream

It started out in a barnyard at sundown
And everyone was laughing and you were lying on the ground
You said "Honey can you tell me what you name is?"
"Honey, can you tell me what your name is?"
I said, "You know what my name is."

R. Newman (Last Night I had a Dream)

[Edited on 20-5-2010 by zed]

chemrox - 21-5-2010 at 14:05

I like Randy Newman too.. thanks for the reminiscence. No doubt the bottle had a warning on it. Doesn't everything these days? Since so many things are labeled harmful in some way we reach extinction in our reactions to such and we get careless. Most cancers are a response to a chronic irritation leading to an opportunity for a virus to take over enough cells the immune system can't knock them all out. Karen was killed by a particularly nasty toxin. Too bad you didn't do a search for MeI here before you mixed it up. There have been a few posts about it's toxicity. I have to use some shortly and intend to review properties of disposable gloves first. When I have the right glove I will handle it in the hood with the fan going at high speed and I will wear a mask as well.

Carelessness with DCM got me some elevated liver enzymes so I'm being very mindful of exposures these days.

Sandmeyer - 21-5-2010 at 16:35

AFAIK, it can not be predicted, some people develop cancer although they are living healthy and without even being in the lab. To spill methyl iodide over your self increase the chances, but if this will be a problem for you or not depends on many factors so let go of worry -- it's useless.

chemrox: "Carelessness with DCM got me some elevated liver enzymes so I'm being very mindful of exposures these days."

How do you know that it was DCM and not some other factor that caused your condition? I doubt that even ingesting it to the point of stupor would give such complications. Animal studies have shown that the mouse is extremely sensitive to DCM and get cancer, but not human, there is a difference in metabolism between these species that explains this. I do not remember exactly where I read it, it was scientific publication

, search around if you want.

Panache - 21-5-2010 at 20:15

if you are still concerned i can forward you the details of a raiki master whom will be able to identify any problems by interacting with your aura, then for a small fee can extinguish the problem and you will be able to rest easily.

Globey - 24-5-2010 at 05:38

Quote: Originally posted by Stadtjunky

My best guess (and that is all it is, a guess), is that the worry will cause you more harm than any neoplasma might cause you. I might have eaten especially healthy the week this happened (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli), etc. Did you do this? Somehow I'm guessing not.

mmh - 21-3-2011 at 18:45

I recently came across this discussion because I too spilt some iodomethane on my skin. I came into contact with MeI by picking up an NMR tube that, unfortunately, had a crack that I did not notice until I handled it with my bare hand. I was not too concerned because it was such a small amount and I did not observe any pain or redness, but yes, the msds sheet is pretty freaky (fatal if absorbed through skin!).

Considering the low boiling point of MeI, I would guess that most (in John's case) would have evaporated with the dcm (check out the msds sheet on sciencelab.com and look under skin contact).

madscientist - 21-3-2011 at 19:02

Quote:

carcinogenity/mutations only occur after repeated exposure, ie, somebody working in a factory producing the stuff.

Incidences of cancer probably appear more frequently from chronic exposure because total exposure levels can be higher. But single doses of potent carcinogens are still dangerous - period.

There is no such thing as a safe exposure level. Any dose theoretically could kill you. It's just a question of the odds of it happening.

crazyboy - 21-3-2011 at 19:28

To me alkylating agents are some of the scariest chemicals you are likely to come across in the lab on a regular basis. Sulfuric acid, NaOH, KOH, even piranha solution will really only leave a burn or irritation unless they get in you eye. And most people are very careful with things like azides, flourine gas, hydrogen etc. But alkylating agents scare me because of their potential ability to modify the epigentic code by methylating DNA. A single exposure probably won't give you cancer but I suggest you be very careful in the future when dealing with any alkylating agent.

spirocycle - 23-3-2011 at 19:05

^and people were giving me shit over in prepublication about assuming that an unknown methylating agent would be carcinogenic!