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From: Natalie Merrill <namerrill**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] OSHA materials on Karen Wetterhahn's mercury exposure
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2022 06:29:11 -0500
Reply-To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Message-ID: CADq5LmQbR_Nw6bzLsQzAFyWc90x9Kt-EoF81hcKPH4ndMWUJRg**At_Symbol_Here**mail.gmail.com
In-Reply-To <210190648.1576288.1647903257638**At_Symbol_Here**mail.yahoo.com>
Yes, Monona,
I was just thinking of that yesterday! And wondering about Karen's gloves, were they standard dry-box gloves or did she double glove them inside of the glove-box with another type of glove, as we sometimes double glove with our disposable tactile gloves. Karen's tragedy crosses my mind from time to time and I'm very glad to hear about memorializing her in C&EN.
I've recently checked all my disposable glove brands (various nitrile gloves 5 to 8 mil thick in different colors) for their condition after two hours exposure to a solution of Nitric Acid diluted in deionized water. (They all survived and three stiffened without becoming brittle, while the softest ones deformed and discolored). Now I realize what I was missing was the link to the break-through time that you have just mentioned!
How do you test for that? Please share a link to any old or current break through data if one may still be available. Of course I've seen the videos of nitrile gloves when dropped into fuming nitric acid!
Natalie
ACS PSS Immediate Past Chair, 2022
Oxford Global Consultant- Tecomet assignment
That document is the same as I remember it. And the lines the burnt my cork were these:
"In 1996, while preparing an experiment that involved the use of dimethyl mercury, Professor Wetterhahn spilled a few drops of the compound on her gloved hand. Though the latex gloves she was wearing were believed to be protective, they proved to be inadequate in preventing exposure to this potent form of mercury. Unknown to Professor Wetterhahn, the toxin passed through the glove and was absorbed into her system."
in 1996 I had been regularly teaching and training on gloves for years using the ASTM break through time charts. And Kimberly Clark also had information on their website at that time about the examining gloves not being protective against chemicals. I was training workers in the art and entertainment industries. She was in the chemistry department at Dartmouth for gosh sakes. Where was their training program for not only faculty, but students? How dare they say it the gloves "were believed to be protective?" By whom? And why? It should have been clearly stated that Dartmouth's OSHA Lab Standard training was defective, and it was their faulty she didn't know.
Monona
-----Original Message-----
From: Russell Vernon <russellnvernon**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com>
To: Monona Rossol <actsnyc**At_Symbol_Here**cs.com>
Cc: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**princeton.edu>
Sent: Mon, Mar 21, 2022 1:37 pm
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] OSHA materials on Karen Wetterhahn's mercury exposure
Certainly do remember it. I wrote a couple articles myself at the time, And I was impressed that Ed Movitz got that OSHA citation so fast. Nice work.
Monona
-----Original Message-----
From: John Callen <jbcallen**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com>
To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Cc: Ralph Stuart <ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu>; Monona Rossol <actsnyc**At_Symbol_Here**cs.com>
Sent: Sun, Mar 20, 2022 9:03 pm
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] OSHA materials on Karen Wetterhahn's mercury exposure
Jillian,
In addition to Edward Movitz' attachment, I'm sure you are aware the C&EN had published two articles about Karen Wetterhahn as reference in Wikipedia:
In the meantime and although it did not relate to (CH3)2Hg but rather just Hg, I was tangentially involved with the Pymm Thermometer Company and OSHA back in 1981 in New York City. There is still plenty of documentation in the literature on it. I'm sure that Monona Rossol surely remembers this case too!
Good Luck!
All My Best,
John B. Callen, Ph.D.
3M Personal Safety Division - Retired
ACS/DCHAS Founding Member
(312) 632-0195
Edward M. Movitz
Research and Environmental Compliance Officer Emeritus
Treasurer
American Chemical Society Ole Miss Local Section
P.O. Box 961
Oxford, MS 38655-0961
Hi all,
C&EN is working on a story memorializing Karen Wetterhahn's death 25 years ago from mercury poisoning. We requested OSHA's file on the incident, but it was destroyed several years ago per the agency's document policy. Does anyone still have OSHA records from the incident? We are working with Michael Blayney, but I thought I'd see what else might be out there.
Thank you for your help,
Jyllian
Jyllian Kemsley, PhD (she/her)
Executive Editor, policy and content partnerships
Chemical & Engineering News
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