Skin contact with irritating hazardous substance

Always take hazardous substances seriously

A few minutes before the end of his shift, an employee was hit on the side of his body by a small amount of methyl-4-toluenesulfonate from a hose. He should have removed the contaminated clothing and rinsed the affected area of skin. However, as this substance is "only" classified as an irritant and he did not suffer any complaints, he decided to finish his work quickly as he wanted to go away that evening. In the shower after the end of his shift he noticed that his skin was slightly reddened, but still embarked on his journey without giving it special attention.

The next day he hurriedly travelled back and admitted himself to hospital, as the reddened skin had developed into a massive destruction of tissue, thus necessitating protracted and very unpleasant treatment.

This shows once again that it is absolutely crucial to begin countermeasures immediately following a contamination, even when the substance is seemingly "harmless" and nothing can be felt at first. If you wait too long, severe consequences could follow.

See: Sichere Chemiearbeit 11-1999, page 131