Uncommon exposure situation, can anyone help?

I was working with freeze dried (lyophilized) human Immunoglobulin G which is made from human plasma that's obtained by paying donors (higher risk groups) and pooling together the samples (from up to 60,000 donors!).  Even though the plasma is tested using an NAT test, statistics show that some plasma would have made it into the pool from donors in the "window period".  No further processing is done to kill viruses because our product is not intended for human use (plasma comes from Cohn fraction II if anyone knows what that means).  In fact, the plasma is treated in a way to keep its contents active.  When I got it, it was a freeze dried powder and became airborne easily.  I fear i may have inhaled some.  Given the direct route to the bloodstream via the lungs, should i get tested, or are my chances of getting HIV zero?  I know HIV has been preserved by freeze drying it, but i don't know the circumstances (like how much virus they started with and what percentage survived).  Can anyone help me at all with this complicated question?  It's eating me up and my situation is so unique I can't find any information.  Someone please help!  

[Teak]

HIV is not airborne, it is bloodborne only virus.

[jojled]

thanks for the help.  i do realize that hiv is not spread through the air, like influenza or other viruses.  it needs body fluid to carry it.  so i guess my question is more along the line of: Can the freeze dried body fluid carry the virus? Again, thanks for your time.

[monkeyflower]

Since HIV doesn't survive in the environment, I'm pretty darn sure it doesn't survive freeze-drying. Besides, the chances of donation by someone in the window period must be vanishingly small anyway. You're better off worrying about meteors crashing through your roof, or being struck by lightning on a sunny day.

In all seriousness, perhaps you shouldn't be working with blood products if you're this anxious about HIV.

[jojled]

thanks for the advice.  i don't usually work with it, this was a one time thing.  as far as hiv surviving the environment, i do know that it dies very quickly (according to the CDC), the only concern is that we prepare the plasma in a way to prevent degradation of its contents, like proteins. The same process may preserve hiv (as in the case i researched where a lab was able to freeze dry viruses and "re-animate" them later.)

[Teak]

It would not matter if they were all hiv+. You can not get infected in that manner.

[jojled]

P.S.

as for the window period, i'm sure it's rare for anyone to slip through the screening, but given the fact that the plasma comes from inner-city donors who have motivation to lie on the questionnare (to get the money for the donation).  it is likely that a couple units of infected plasma would be included since one "batch" contains plasma from 2000 to 100,000 people!

[peekawho]

Perhaps the people to talk to would be your Employee Health dept, since you fear you have been exposed via a work situation.  I agree with the others that you don't have a risk, but talk with EH.  Perhaps they can better ease your fears.   If there WERE a risk, you would have been issued an appropriate mask--you do understand that, right?  HIV is not transmitted in this way.  That's why you are not given such a mask to work with biologicals.

[jojled]

actually, i was supposed to wear a respirator, but the sample was improperly marked, so, initially, i thought it was from a bovine source (which doesn't require a respirator). when i found out it was a human source product, it was after i had possibly been exposed. i agree that i'm probably not at risk, but on the original bottle there is a biohazard symbol that says to treat it as if it were infectious.  i know that's to cover any possible freak accident, but it's hard to put it out of your mind knowing that frozen plasma "flakes" could have been inhaled directly into my lungs (where the alveoli provide excellent passage directly to the bloodstream).

thanks everyone for your time, i really appreciate it!

[peekawho]

Then talk to Employee health about it.  Good luck, and let us know what they say.  

[Teak]

http://www.news.ecu.edu/edge/2003/fromlabtomarket.html

Read the article about freeze drying.