DCHAS-L Discussion List Archive
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 08:37:42 -0400
Reply-To: List Moderator <esf**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: List Moderator <esf**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Subject: Accidents in Chemistry
An e-mail from a non-CHAS member that I thought CHAS people might be
interested in and/or have useful responses to...
- Ralph
From: glasfeld**At_Symbol_Here**reed.edu
Subject: Accidents in Chemistry
Date: June 18, 2006 2:34:22 PM EDT
I hope the following suggestion isn't from too far out in left
field. I just read a short article in Nature discussing chemical
safety, with a particular mention to the relatively greater hazards
associated with academic research (Nature vol. 441, p. 560).
Alongside that article were a few dramatic and cautionary tales. It
struck me that there should be some way (and there may already be) to
distribute these stories, particularly to undergraduates just getting
started.
As a sometime mountaineer, I'm reminded of a (fortunately) slim
publication by the American Alpine Club called "Accidents in North
American Mountaineering", which provides a summary of accidents
reported to the club in a given calendar year, along with analyses.
These make great reading. They attract a certain morbid fascination,
but also carry some important take-home lessons about safety.
I would be great if there were a similar resource on chemical safety,
especially one that would attract the attention of younger chemists
(and their teachers) - perhaps something like "Accidents in North
American Academic Chemistry". Does something like this exist? If
not, I hope your division would consider some sort of publication
that might serve that purpose.
Thanks in advance for your consideration - again, I hope I'm not too
far out on this idea,
Sincerely,
Arthur Glasfeld
Department of Chemistry
Reed College
3203 SE Woodstock Blvd.
Portland, OR 97202
USA
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