Please read Ken Smith note carefully.  He burned his mouth.  Ken wrote: 

"I assure you, it was the last I ever pipetted by mouth because it
burned the tissue and hurt for a few days with some sloughing off".

Ken also wrote:

"I was taught the use of a bulb for the correct way to use the pipette
which soon became a second nature process".

I conclude: with Ken's own experience, learning correctly how to use the
bulb and pipette together later, and our own DESIRE to have limited
EXPOSURE to chemicals should be more than enough, in my opinion, to NOT
teach to pipette by mouth.  It is amazing to me that we are still
TEACHING this method of transferring solutions from container to
container; especially here in the USA.   

__________________________________________________ 
Mikhail 

-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of
Jean & Ken Smith
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 7:41 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Pipetting rule

When in college in the early 1950's - now retired - I was pipetting some
0.01N NaOH and reached the bottom of the vessel with the result of
getting 5
to 10 ml in the mouth.  That, I assure you, was the last I ever pipetted
by
mouth because it burned the tissue and hurt for a few days with some
sloughing off.  I was never taught how to pipet at the time, but thought
it
would be a quick way to do a transfer.

In the army - 1953 - in a Medical Lab Tech School, I was taught the use
of a
bulb forthe correct way to use the pipet which soon became a second
nature
process.

I strongly advocate including in your training to insist that mouth
pipetting SHALL never be used and the correct way taught.  Many
chemicals
and biomaterials are very poisonous and would kill with a small amount
ingested that way.

Kenneth R. Smith, CIH Retired

-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of
Barbara Mowery
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 12:19 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Pipetting rule

Colleagues, 

During our annual review of safety rules and printed mataerials, one of
my
young colleagues asked me if it is still necessary to include the rule
"Never pipet by mouth." She has never seen it done, and couldn't imagine
anyone who would EVER think of doing it. I guess I could ask the same
about
the "No eating or drinking" rule.

Any thoughts?

Barbara Mowery 
General Chemistry Laboratory Coordinator 
Physical Sciences Department 
York College of Pennsylvania 
441 Country Club Road 
York PA 17403-3651
717-815-6480
Fax 717-849-1653

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