Nonetheless, in the actual workplace pregnant women would not be "protected" this way. I understand that students can be oblivious to potential hazards in the lab, And as I am sure you are aware, the fetus would be most affected in the first trimester, when a woman may not even know she is pregnant,. This includes aspirin, and I believe it is chronic exposure, not a one-time event. As an industrial chemist, I think this attitude is teaching all students, male and female, exactly the wrong idea about chemical safety. Yes, students are careless, but we want them to have learned safe lab practices before they come to work for us. The aspirin synthesis: salicylic acid, acetic anhydride, phosphoric acid, aspirin at the end. I know we are not being specific here, but I think we should. The labs in an undergraduate class are standard, and the reagents well characterized. Certainly the teaching staff and the Chemical Hygiene Officer would know the hazards and the PPE available as well as the engineering controls.. Ujjvala (Vaiju) Bagal Specialist, Methods Development Phone: 01-912-964-9050 ext.53236 Fax: 01-912-966-5917 Email: Vaiju.Bagal**At_Symbol_Here**emdchemicals.com EMD Chemicals 110 EMD Blvd Savannah, GA 31407 Home: www.emdchemicals.com This message and any attachment(s) are confidential and may be privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not copy this message or attachment(s) or disclose the content to any other person. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete the message and any attachment from your system. EMD does not accept liability for any omissions or errors in this message which may arise as a result of E-Mail-transmission or for damages resulting from any unauthorized change of the content of this message and any attachment(s) thereto. EMD does not guarantee that this message is free of viruses and does not accept liability for any damages caused by any virus transmitted therewith. Ben RuekbergSent by: DCHAS-L Discussion List 08/10/2010 10:11 AM Please respond to DCHAS-L Discussion List To DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU cc Subject Re: [DCHAS-L] 2 Re: [DCHAS-L] pregnant student in chemistry lab With respect, your question is not entirely relevant. I merely pointed out an example of a substance which may safely be ingested by most people except pregnant women: unsafe for pregnant women but not unsafe for everyone. The fact that it is the product of an experiment was included merely to put the fact in a laboratory context. It is unsafe for women in the third trimester of pregnancy to ingest aspirin. I doubt any of the women whose children?s birth defects led to this discovery were exposed to aspirin by any route other than oral. Thus, I cannot speak to other routes, but again this is of limited relevance. Aspirin, which could be present as a powder for authentic sample or mixed melting point purposes, could become airborne during operations. While the experiments in question would intend to preclude exposure, students often behave in such a way as to circumvent normal precautions. For instance, one person spills a solution of aspirin on a bench top. Another student puts a writing implement on this bench top and, later, into their mouth. Many students find the habit of putting writing implements in their mouths very difficult to break during lab, even after repeated warnings. If you feel that such an occurrence is unlikely, consider how the sweetness of most artificial sweeteners was discovered. (Admittedly, that was cigarettes, but the principle applies, particularly considering that these discoverers were professional chemists who should have known better.) Also admittedly, this would never be a safe practice, but unsafe practices are what lead to accidents and, like it or not, humans will have accidents. The difference is the degree of severity of the accident, which for the fetus can be catastrophic. BR From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU] On Behalf Of Harrington, Rachel Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 11:58 AM To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] 2 Re: [DCHAS-L] pregnant student in chemistry lab Do you mean that it is not safe for a pregnant woman to ingest aspirin or, that it is unsafe for the pw to be in the presence of aspirin or chemicals reacted to make aspirin? I would expect that any procedures designed for the aspirin-making experiment would eliminate ingestion, as well as skin absorption and inhalation, as routes of exposure. RH From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**list.uvm.edu] On Behalf Of List Moderator Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 10:08 AM To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**LIST.UVM.EDU Subject: [DCHAS-L] 2 Re: [DCHAS-L] pregnant student in chemistry lab From: "Ben Ruekberg" Date: August 10, 2010 8:02:39 AM EDT Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] pregnant student in chemistry lab I must take exception to the generalization that it a lab is not safe for a pregnant person, it is not safe for anyone. Consider the relatively common lab experiment of making aspirin. Aspirin is safe for most people, but not pregnant women. Ben Ruekberg === From: melissa.ballard**At_Symbol_Here**us.michelin.com Date: August 10, 2010 11:00:18 AM EDT Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] pregnant student in chemistry lab I work as an Industrial Hygiene Chemist so protecting employees from exposure & over exposure is my main purpose. I had a baby last year and continued to work in the lab while pregnant & while breast-feeding. I avoided the use of certain known teratogens (specifically CS2) and double-gloved when I used anything else. All of my work was performed in a fume hood. I too took MSDSs to my OB and talked to him & my manager candidly about the risk of exposing the fetus to anything that could cause damage. I used common sense & did what I felt comfortable with. I think offering the student choices would be the best route. I'm sure the student can meet the learning objectives of the labs through other means. Good luck! Glad to see that you are being proactive & taking the concern seriously. Melissa Ballard Industrial Hygiene & Environmental Chemist Michelin North America 1401 Antioch Church Road Greenville, SC 29605 864.458.1843 melissa.ballard**At_Symbol_Here**us.michelin.com This message and any attachment are confidential and may be privileged or o therwise protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not copy this message or attachment or disclose the contents to an y other person. If you have received this transmission in error, please not ify the sender immediately and delete the message and any attachment from y our system. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and any of its subsidiaries do n ot accept liability for any omissions or errors in this message which may a rise as a result of E-Mail-transmission or for damages resulting from any u nauthorized changes of the content of this message and any attachment there to. 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