2014 Safety Refresher

Handling Acids• Acids (and bases) are corrosive, yet found in several

household items• Weak acids and bases should not be put on cuts or on

the mucous membranes of the body, since these areas are more sensitive than regular skin• Mucous membranes are at several places contiguous with skin: at

the nostrils, the lips of the mouth, the eyelids, the ears, the genital area, and the anus

• Strong acids and bases should not be touched or handled without wearing gloves and clothing

• Examples of weak acids and bases found in the home:• AmLactin lotion• Cream of tartar• Baking soda

• Examples of strong acids and bases found in the home:– Bleach– Battery acid

Oral (vs Topical) Antifungals• Antibiotics and antivirals can usually be taken orally with virtually no side-

effects, because bacteria and viruses are so different from our cells that things can kill them without killing us

Oral (vs Topical) Antifungals• Fungus, however, is a eukaryote. Humans are also eukaryote. This means

that almost everything that is toxic to fungus is also toxic to humans (with varying degrees of toxicity).• The key to finding antifungals for human ingestion is to find something that kills the fungus while only being mildly

toxic to humans

• Therefore, oral antifungals should only be taken when the human’s health is under serious threat by a fungal infection (this is rare outside of immunocompromised patients)– The damage caused to the human is too great to justify using oral antifungals to treat

cosmetic issues, such as toe fungus

Human cell

Fungal cell