From the laboratory to the operating room and everywhere in between, chemicals are used extensively by the NIH community. With numerous chemicals available offering a wide variety of useful properties, chemicals have become ubiquitous in all operations directly implementing or supporting the agency's mission.
Many chemicals can be harmful to human health, and must be handled and used in a safe and careful manner. The NIH Division of Safety (DS) has developed a series of chemical monitoring programs to protect the NIH community through vigilant surveillance.
The programs below incorporate regularly scheduled monitoring. As such, employees may request additional monitoring for additional chemicals not listed within the below programs or to assess chemical exposure during specific operations and/or times that differ from planned monitoring. Additional support is available for vulnerable workers such as those with respiratory illnesses, immune system suppression, or pregnancy.
The DS Industrial Hygiene and Campus Safety Branch (IHCSB) manages the above listed chemical monitoring programs and has extensive in-house capabilities to assess workplace chemical exposures at NIH. If monitoring indicates a need to reduce chemical exposure, IHCSB will advise your organization to make the work environment safer following the 
hierarchy of controls.
Questions about Chemical Monitoring?
Contact DS, IHCSB at (301) 496-3353.
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