http://cenblog.org/the-safety-zone/2017/02/color-blindness-as-a-lab-safety-concern/

Color-blindness as a lab safety concern?

This week's C&EN includes a Newscripts column about new eyeglasses for color-blind people that enhance color perception.

http://cen.acs.org/articles/95/i6/Experimenting-EnChromas-color-blind-assistance.html

I was struck by these comments by a materials science graduate student who tried the glasses:

"Primary colors seemed more their color," [Patrick] Stanley reports of his time wearing the glasses. "Labels and boxes caught my attention more-and I guess the point of a hazardous label is to catch my attention." He also could tell the difference between red and green LEDs and felt more adept at color-matching tasks such as tracing gas lines and reading graphs. "I found myself being quicker in making color assertions," he says.

I'd never considered before whether color-blindness might be a lab safety concern. What do you think? Are there labs in which eyeglasses such as these might be helpful to ensure safety? (Combined with appropriate safety glasses or goggles, of course!)

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