Effects of the Exposure of Students, Laboratory Technicians and Administrative Staff of UP College of Pharmacy to Organic Reagents used in the Laboratory

There can be a potential occupational health hazard for students, laboratory technicians, and administrative staffs due to their exposure to organic reagents used in the laboratory. The organic chemicals acetone, benzene, chloroform and ethanol were given particular concern because these are the reagents identified to be most frequently used in the laboratory. This study aims to assess whether the signs and symptoms experienced by students, laboratory technicians and administrative staff of UP Manila College of Pharmacy vary and are associated to length of exposure to Organic Reagents being used in the different laboratories of the college, compared to a certain control group by filling out a questionnaire covering their personal and health profiles. It was observed that there was a significant difference in the effects of exposure between B.S. Pharmacy and B.S. Industrial Pharmacy students. However, the severity of symptoms cannot be associated to the length of exposure of these individuals. It was found in the study that students from the College of Pharmacy are 4.6 times likely to experience these physiological complaints as compared to students from the College of Arts and Sciences.