Good afternoon everyone,
Thanks so much for all of you who came out today and joined us at this morning's symposium and we look forward to seeing you all at the ones this afternoon. The attendance was great, so we definitely want to continue the momentum. Just wanted to take a quick
moment to let you all know of the sessions taking place on Tuesday, August 25th. Looking forward to seeing you all there..................................
TUESDAY – August 25h, 2026
Virtual & McCormick Place Convention Center
ORAL – DIGITAL SYMPOSIUM
(CHAS) From Laboratory Bench to Community: Connecting Bench-Scale Safety Culture with Broader Environmental Health Outcomes
Location: Virtual
Presiders: Herbert Che Mughe, Pedro Flores Galllardo, and Oluwanifesimi Afolabi
10:00 Introductory Remarks
10:05 Community health worker framework for implementing the hierarchy of controls in underserved workplaces and fenceline communities P. Flores Gallardo
10:25 Unequal burden of artificial intelligence: Environmental and health costs of energy-intensive AI I. Mithu
10:45 Human connection as pathway to safety culture M. Guron
11:05 From industry to bench: Implementing process safety management in laboratories J. Taveau
11:25 Recent advancements in testing devices and methodology of laboratory fume hood performance evaluation K. Chen
11:45 Fireside Chat
(CHAS) From Laboratory Bench to Community: Connecting Bench-Scale Safety Culture with Broader Environmental Health Outcomes
Location: McCormick Place Convention Center N226
Presiders: Herbert Che Mughe, Pedro Flores Galllardo, and Oluwanifesimi Afolabi
2:00 Introductory Remarks
2:05 Chemical safety from bench to boundary considering who counts and what’s missing L. Royer
2:25 From challenges to control: leveraging chemical data to develop effective, user-friendly SOPs C. Karki
2:45 Use of dynamic learning and Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) tools to improve safety culture and better environmental and safety outcomes J. Pickel
3:05 Risk-risk trade-offs in applied microbial research: Balancing disinfection efficacy and community environmental health through scenario-based evidence R. Saha
3:25 Prevention-based approach to occupational safety In biologic parenteral development A. Harley
3:45 Intermission
4:00 Overview of environmental & process safety engineering in the pharmaceutical industry A. Dunn
4:20 It's just community college, right?: How to improve community relations through lab safety and positive environmental responsibility D. Henry
4:40 Need for a new federal approach for responding to chemical exposure caused by area-wide contamination S. Lester
5:00 Unpleasant surprises: Mitigating unexpected releases for safety & environmental quality J. Melton
5:20 Hazards of scaling up chemical processes: Three CSB case studies M. Wingard
5:40 Open Discussions
& don't forget later today...........................................
MONDAY – August 24th, 2026
McCormick Place Convention Center
(CHAS) Artificial Intelligence and Safety Education and
Training: How AI Can Enhance and Inform a Safer
Workplace for All
Location: N226
Presider: Frankie Wood-Black
2:00 Welcoming Remarks
2:05 AI-integrated safety training and interactive laboratory
education S. Kim
2:30 Lessons learned: Implementing AI-driven safety training
in the organic chemistry laboratory H. Weizman
2:55 North Carolina State University’s AI tool for chemical
procurement tracking O. Christian
3:20 AI-enhanced professional: Navigating safety, ethics, and
innovation in technical workplaces F. Wood-Black
3:45 Panel Discussion
(CHAS) Best Practices Handling High Hazard Reagents
Location: N226
Presider: Debbie Decker, Sandra Keyser
4:15 Introductory Remarks
4:20 Tip of the iceberg: Recognizing and managing high
hazard reaction chemistry P. Martinelango
4:45 Safety protocols for handling toxic and reactive
chemicals in laboratories T. Chandra
5:10 Avoiding the next fire: Lessons learned from incidents
with high hazard reagents C. Merlic
Sci-Mix
Monday, March 23
8:00 – 10:00 PM
McCormick Place Convention Center
Hall F2
• Vertical distribution and mobility of PFAS in vadose zone soils at an
AFFF-impacted site Y. Zhao
• Trends in accumulation of organic peroxides in peroxide forming
chemicals: An analysis of the effect of storage conditions on peroxide
concentrations observed in university research laboratories K.
Woolard
• Nebulized calcium therapy for respiratory fluoride exposure S. Hess
• GraphRAG-powered chatbot for chemical hazard assessment and
safer alternatives identification Y.J. Tseng
• Rapid retrieval and search for safer chemical alternatives in industry
P. Du
• NeuSolv: a rapid, safe, and effective nucleophile-based
decontaminant for chemical warfare agents M. Akter
• Quantitative risk assessment and standardised handling protocols for
air- and moisture-sensitive organometallic reagents in academic
laboratories P. Dutta
• Development of the guided risk evaluation and environmental
navigation (Greenn) system: a computational approach for greener
chemical evaluation and visualization Y. Hsu
Visit the Division of Chemical Health and Safety on Division Row
And
the Committee on Chemical Safety on Committee Row
Dwayne F. Henry
ACS CHAS 2026 Chair-elect/2-Year College Lab Safety Community of Practice Chair
Instructional Lab Manager of Chemical and Biological Science
Collegewide Chemical, Physical, & Biological Hazards sub-committee
TPSS Biology Club Advisor / TPSS Shepherd's Club Advisor
ACS Committee for Chemical Safety Executive Board
ACS CHAS Peer-Led Workshops Mentorship Team
Montgomery College TP/SS campus
(240) 567-1418
From: Henry, Dwayne F <Dwayne.Henry**At_Symbol_Here**montgomerycollege.edu>
Sent: Sunday, August 23, 2026 12:06 PM
To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**princeton.edu>
Cc: 'Keyser, Sandra' via DCHAS EC <dchas-ec**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>
Subject: Reminder: A message from your 2026 CHAS chair-elect - CHAS/CCS Members are personally/cordially invited to the (CHAS/COMSCI) Celebrating 150 Years of ACS: Shaping Safer Science for All Symposium plus more at the 2026 ACS Spring Meetings & Conference
Good day CHAS & CCS members,
I hope you are all doing well and gearing up for the 2026 ACS Fall Meeting
& Conference in Chicago, IL August 22nd - 27th. I would like to personally and cordially invite you all to a jam packed Monday of exciting presentations & events, starting with the CHAS/COMSCI "Celebrating
150 Years of ACS: Shaping Safer Science for All" Symposium on Monday, August 24th at the McCormick Place Convention Center (8am
- 12:00pm), as well as the (CHAS) "Artificial Intelligence and Safety Education and Training: How AI Can Enhance and Inform a Safer Workplace for All" (2 - 4:05pm),
(CHAS)
Best Practices Handling High Hazard Reagents (4:15 - 5:30pm)
and
poster session @ SCIMIX later that night (8 - 10pm). There has been much conversation on ways to increase attendance
at our symposiums, so why not start with our own members! Having done years of promoting events, one of the things that brings people into a room that they may not be familiar with as they are walking by is seeing that same room full of engaged and attentive
individuals. Everyone wants to know what's going on and how they can be included! The thing that makes this even easier is Debbie Decker (our presider) and Monica Soma Hensley (Programming co-chair) have already done an excellent job organizing great topics
and speakers for all to enjoy and gain valuable knowledge from. Many of us will be in Chicago, so if your schedule allows,
PLEASE join us on Monday morning, August 24th so we can show ACS how strong and united both CHAS (including CANN) and CCS are, as we start the week off as strong as possible and continue the momentum all week long! As the days progress,
we will also be advertising the other upcoming CHAS symposiums that will be taking place, with hopes that as many of us will attend those as possible. I have listed information for the Monday sessions below. For a full list and schedule of events, please
click on the attached schedule. Thank you all for your time, and I look forward to seeing you in Chicago!...............................
MONDAY – August 24th, 2026
McCormick Place Convention Center
(CHAS/COMSCI) Celebrating 150 Years of ACS: Shaping Safer Science for All
Location: W190b
8 - 11:40 A.M.
Presider: Debbie Decker, Marta Gmurczyk
8:00 Introductory Remarks
8:05 The Power of We M. Gmurczyk | L. McEwen
| E. Bolton| P. Dorhout | M. Hensley | R. Hill
8:40 Professional Growth Through the ACS Chemical
Safety Experience A. Chung | S. Keyser | D.
Jacques | D. Henry | W. Tallmadge
9:05 Panel Discussion: ACS EICs on Safety M B Mulcahy
| M. Kozlowski | S. Minteer | C. Bertozzi| S. Dehnen
| E. Carreira
9:50 Coffee Break
10:00 From tragedy to transformation: How a 1966
explosion shaped chemical safety at Dow
P. Martinelango
10:20 From Bhopal to the AI Era: Enduring Technical and
Organizational Lessons in Process Safety Q. Wang
10:40 The 2008 UCLA laboratory accident: What happened,
what changed, and what still needs to be done C.
Merlic
11:00 Phillips Petroleum Company Explosion, 1989
R. Heald
11:20 Ted Style Talk - Mary Beth Mulcahy M. B. Mulcahy
11:40 From Data to Decisions: Reimagining Chemical
Safety Information for Global Risk Reduction
P. Reinhardt
Also don't miss.............
(CHAS) Artificial Intelligence and Safety Education and
Training: How AI Can Enhance and Inform a Safer
Workplace for All
Location: N226
Presider: Frankie Wood-Black
2:00 Welcoming Remarks
2:05 AI-integrated safety training and interactive laboratory
education S. Kim
2:30 Lessons learned: Implementing AI-driven safety training
in the organic chemistry laboratory H. Weizman
2:55 North Carolina State University’s AI tool for chemical
procurement tracking O. Christian
3:20 AI-enhanced professional: Navigating safety, ethics, and
innovation in technical workplaces F. Wood-Black
3:45 Panel Discussion
(CHAS) Best Practices Handling High Hazard Reagents
Location: N226
Presider: Debbie Decker, Sandra Keyser
4:15 Introductory Remarks
4:20 Tip of the iceberg: Recognizing and managing high
hazard reaction chemistry P. Martinelango
4:45 Safety protocols for handling toxic and reactive
chemicals in laboratories T. Chandra
5:10 Avoiding the next fire: Lessons learned from incidents
with high hazard reagents C. Merlic
Sci-Mix
Monday, March 23
8:00 – 10:00 PM
McCormick Place Convention Center
Hall F2
• Vertical distribution and mobility of PFAS in vadose zone soils at an
AFFF-impacted site Y. Zhao
• Trends in accumulation of organic peroxides in peroxide forming
chemicals: An analysis of the effect of storage conditions on peroxide
concentrations observed in university research laboratories K.
Woolard
• Nebulized calcium therapy for respiratory fluoride exposure S. Hess
• GraphRAG-powered chatbot for chemical hazard assessment and
safer alternatives identification Y.J. Tseng
• Rapid retrieval and search for safer chemical alternatives in industry
P. Du
• NeuSolv: a rapid, safe, and effective nucleophile-based
decontaminant for chemical warfare agents M. Akter
• Quantitative risk assessment and standardised handling protocols for
air- and moisture-sensitive organometallic reagents in academic
laboratories P. Dutta
• Development of the guided risk evaluation and environmental
navigation (Greenn) system: a computational approach for greener
chemical evaluation and visualization Y. Hsu
Visit the Division of Chemical Health and Safety on Division Row
And
the Committee on Chemical Safety on Committee Row
Dwayne F. Henry
ACS CHAS 2026 Chair-elect/2-Year College Lab Safety Community of Practice Chair
Instructional Lab Manager of Chemical and Biological Science
Collegewide Chemical, Physical, & Biological Hazards sub-committee
TPSS Biology Club Advisor / TPSS Shepherd's Club Advisor
ACS Committee for Chemical Safety Executive Board
ACS CHAS Peer-Led Workshops Mentorship Team
Montgomery College TP/SS campus
(240) 567-1418
