Akihiko Seki

Use of Material Safety Data Sheets at Workplaces Handling Harmful Substances in Okayama, Japan

Use of Material Safety Data Sheets at Workplaces Handling Harmful Substances in Okayama, Japan: Akihiko Seki, et al. Department of Public Health, Okayama University Medical School—In April 2000, the revised Industrial Safety and Health Law, which prescribes the creation and issue of material safety data sheets (MSDSs), was enforced in Japan. Before the enforcement, we conducted a survey relating to the use of MSDSs in hazardous workplaces in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. We sent questionnaires to all workplaces possibly using hazardous chemicals, and answers from 422 workplaces, where hazardous chemicals were used but not produced, were analyzed. One‐third of the workplaces did not request MSDSs at the time of chemical transfer. In more than half of the workplaces, MSDSs were not posted or kept. The main reason for such lack of use or misuse of the MSDS system was a lack of knowledge and understanding of the system. In addition, half of the respondents considered that MSDS documents were unsatisfactory because of the difficult words used in them. These two problems, i.e., a lack of knowledge and understanding of the MSDS system, and the use of difficult words in the documents, should be remedied in order for the MSDS system to be implemented effectively and thereby protect workers from the harmful effects of chemicals.

Amplification of themdm-2 gene andp53 abnormalities in uterine sarcomas

The aim of this study is to address the role of mdm‐2‐gene amplification in the tumorigenesis of uterine sarcomas. Differential PCR with DNA from formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded specimens was employed in 12 patients with uterine sarcomas. We detected mdm‐2‐gene amplification in 4 out of 12 uterine sarcomas. The estimated copy number of the mdm‐2 gene ranged from 4 to 13. Positive cases included 1 leiomyosarcoma and 3 carcinosarcomas, however, there was no correlation between mdm‐2‐gene amplification and clinicopathological characteristics. Over‐expression of p53 protein was also immunohistochemically studied in the same series of patients: 4 out of 8 carcinosarcomas displayed p53 immunoreactivity. Taking these results together, only one carcinosarcoma was found to have both mdm‐2‐gene amplification and p53 over‐expression. In contrast, half of the patients were found to have alterations either of mdm‐2 or of p53. These findings support the notion that mdm‐2‐gene amplification might be an alternative mechanism for escaping from the regulatory pathway of p53 to suppress cell growth. Int. J. Cancer 73:33–37, 1997.