The document provides safety information about handling acids and discusses differences between oral and topical antifungals. It notes that acids can be corrosive and weak acids found in products like lotions and baking soda should not be applied to broken skin or mucous membranes. Strong acids like bleach and battery acid require gloves. Oral antifungals can have side effects because fungi and humans are both eukaryotes, whereas bacteria and viruses differ more from human cells, allowing antibiotics and antivirals to be taken with fewer side effects. Oral antifungals should only be used for serious fungal infections, not cosmetic issues, due to their toxicity.

1. 2014 Safety Refresher

2. Handling Acids
• Acids (and bases) are corrosive, yet found in several
household items
• Weak acids and bases should not be put on cuts or on
the mucous membranes of the body, since these areas
are more sensitive than regular skin
• Mucous membranes are at several places contiguous with skin: at
the nostrils, the lips of the mouth, the eyelids, the ears, the genital
area, and the anus
• Strong acids and bases should not be touched or handled
without wearing gloves and clothing
• Examples of weakacids and bases found in the home:
• AmLactin lotion
• Cream of tartar
• Baking soda
• Examples of strong acids and bases found in the home:
– Bleach
– Battery acid

3. Oral (vs Topical) Antifungals
• Antibiotics and antivirals can usually be taken orally with virtually no side-
effects, because bacteria and viruses are so different from our cells that
things can kill them without killing us

4. Oral (vs Topical) Antifungals
• Fungus, however, is a eukaryote. Humans are also eukaryote. This means
that almost everything that is toxic to fungus is also toxic to humans (with
varying degrees of toxicity).
• The key to finding antifungals for human ingestion is to find something that kills the fungus while only being mildly
toxic to humans
• Therefore, oral antifungals should only be taken when the human’s health
is under serious threat by a fungal infection (this is rare outside of
immunocompromised patients)
– The damage caused to the human is too great to justify using oral antifungals to treat
cosmetic issues, such as toe fungus
Human
cell
Fungal
cell