Risk Factors Associated with Plastination: I. Chemical Toxicity Considerations

The technique of plastination requires the handling of chemical agents not normally encountered by anatomic preparators. Material safety data sheets that come with these chemicals provide limited information regarding potential toxic effects following skin, inhalational or other exposures to these compounds. Biodur™ SlO-type silicones that are commonly used in plastination are polydialkyl siloxanes and are widely used in industry. A review of chemical safety sheets from industrial sources that produce such siloxanes suggests limited toxic effects associated with handling these agents. In contrast, a variety of adverse chemical effects including skin hypersensitivity-type responses have been associated with use of Biodur™ S6 and Biodur™ S3-like compounds. Epoxy resins commonly used by plastinators are well-recognized skin, eye and mucous membrane irritants and have been associated with allergic skin responses. Such toxic effects associated with the more common plastination chemicals are discussed in this paper.