I completely agree with this "educator's" point of view.  Many of our experiments in general chemistry are using non-hazardous materials (yes, of course you can drown in or die from ingesting too much salt water, but ...).

Pat Redden

-----Original Message-----
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List on behalf of List Moderator
Sent: Tue 8/11/2009 7:28 AM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] 2 Re: [DCHAS-L] Glove use in academic teaching labs

From:   r.calhoun**At_Symbol_Here**moreheadstate.edu
Subject:        RE: [DCHAS-L] 2 Re: [DCHAS-L] Glove use in academic teaching 
labs
Date:   August 10, 2009 4:12:11 PM EDT

 >From an industrial standpoint (i.e. employers), you will help us
tremendously if those in education require gloves for all lab operations
short of keyboards.

> From an educator's point of view, requiring gloves for ALL lab 
> operations only teaches students that ALL chemicals are dangerous.  
> It does not teach the student to evaluate risk; to think about what 
> they are doing and what precautions they need to take.  In many ways 
> it fosters an atmosphere of carelessness and disregard for real 
> dangers.  If I make my students wear gloves when they determine the 
> density of salt water, they'll underestimate the danger when I make 
> them wear gloves for experiments where there is real risk.  Yes, it 
> is easier to make hard and fast rules - "Do This", even if it's not 
> really appropriate - than to look at each individual situation. But 
> if anyone ever told you teaching was easy, they lied.

Kay Calhoun