Safety

Tip of the week: Know the hazards of hydrogen peroxide solutions

Hospital Safety Insider, August 6, 2008

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Hydrogen peroxide might not sound like a huge risk, but one hospital’s experience contradicts that notion.
 
Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, CA, responded to a hydrogen peroxide spill in an outpatient building that only involved at the most 5 gal. of the liquid. The incident occurred at 5:16 a.m. July 25 as a truck was delivering the solution.
 
Vendors deliver hydrogen peroxide in 50% concentrations, making its vapors risky to anyone exposed to the substance at that dilution, according to The Desert Sun of Palm Springs.
 
After the spill at Eisenhower Medical Center, 20 employees evacuated the outpatient building and two security officers suffered minor respiratory problems that needed treatment, according to The Desert Sun.
 
Bottles of hydrogen peroxide typically purchased for household use are only 3% solutions, The Desert Sun reported.
 
See this OSHA site more information about the risk of hydrogen peroxide.
 



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