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Date: Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:34:15 -0400
Reply-To: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Sender: DCHAS-L Discussion List <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU>
From: List Moderator <ecgrants**At_Symbol_Here**UVM.EDU>
Subject: 3 more Re: [DCHAS-L] Glove use in academic teaching labs
From: drsamples**At_Symbol_Here**comcast.net
Date: August 12, 2009 2:00:42 PM EDT
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] 2 Re: [DCHAS-L] Glove use in academic teaching
labs
I have my students in first year inorganic chemistry wear gloves. Due
to allergy issues, I allow them to pick their gloves, but most use the
disposable nitrile gloves. Some do use thicker reusable gloves.
Although I do not distribute a glove chart (maybe I should), I do
carefully explain at the start of the semester the following items:
1) gloves are not impermeable, they just buy you time, so they should
never be cavalier when working with chemicals, but treat them with the
respect and care that they merit
2) that different gloves are good for different chemicals, and the
thicker the better for chemical resistance (but worse for tactile
sensation)
3) the pros and cons of different glove types
4) that glove use aids in proper lab hygiene as most people would not
scratch their nose wearing gloves, but it can be very easy to do so if
you are not wearing gloves
5) related to the above, I go over proper lab hygiene when wearing
gloves (or not): not touching door knobs, no touching the face, etc.
6) disposable gloves are disposable, and not meant to be used the
entire semester (since they buy their own gloves, students want to
resuse the disposable gloves)
7) that their safety is my #1 concern in the lab, so that is why I
mandate glove use
For inorganic chem, the thinner disposable gloves seem to be fine,
except for when they are pouring out the concentrated acids.
The organic instructors at our school do not mandate glove use,
although I wish that they would consider it. I was required to wear
gloves at my undergraduate institution: thicker diswashing gloves for
OChem, not the disposable latex ones. Of course, that was a LONG time
ago!
As an aside, my students have asked me whether I wear goggles and
gloves when I clean at home, and I tell them that when I am scrubbing
bathtubs/showers I sure do! I don't want bleach in my eyes!
Sincerely,
Marjorie Samples
Folsom Lake College
===
From: jcrocket**At_Symbol_Here**BRIDGEWATER.EDU
Re: 2 Re: [DCHAS-L] Glove use in academic teaching labs
In my organic lab, the hazards of the chemicals are discussed and the
students are told the hazards in the prelab and in the lab manual. We
have gloves in the lab. With the chemicals we are using, we have had
no trouble with simple latex gloves. We have some additional gloves
for those with allergies.
Joe Crockett
Department of Chemistry
Bridgewater College
===
From: "Russ Phifer"
Date: August 12, 2009 4:05:03 PM EDT
Subject: Glove use in academic teaching labs
I don't know that I buy the cost argument. A box of 100 powder-free
disposable nitrile gloves costs no more than $30. That's $0.60 a
pair, and they=92re a lot cheaper than that in quantity. When little
Suzy the freshman chemistry student gets chemical burns on her hands
and needs plastic surgery, do you think that "well, the gloves were 60
cents a pair, and that was too much to spend" is going to be a valid
argument in court?
Russ
Russ Phifer
WC Environmental, LLC
1085C Andrew Drive
West Chester, PA 19380
610-696-9220x12/ fax 610-344-7519
rphifer**At_Symbol_Here**wcenvironmental.com
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