Earlier this year, I wrote a series of columns on toxicology and the importance of having a written HazCom program. I’ve received a few messages from drillers wondering, “What do I do if I’m overexposed to a chemical?”

That’s not a cut-and-dried answer. I must ask myself a few questions. Do I feel signs or symptoms of overexposure? What chemical was I exposed to? If I feel signs or symptoms that don’t fade with time away from the jobsite, I may have been overexposed and should maybe see a licensed healthcare professional. If symptoms do fade, exposure to something remains a possibility but it may prove difficult to determine the level. Each chemical affects a person’s health in different ways. One person may have more or less sensitivity to a particular chemical compound than another.