Clearly all of you don’t read the obits in Chemical and Engineering News – I would say Chemists (who don’t die accidentally) live a heck of a lot longer than the general populace. Or is that just self-selection – the ones who live long enough to write up their own obit and keep it with their will? That reminds me, time to update mine…
From: DCHAS-L Discussion List [mailto:dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU] On Behalf Of Wawzyniecki Jr, Stefan
Sent: Wednesday, August 6, 2014 6:00 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Historical chemical safety quote?
I recall applying for my first life insurance policy (1970's)
And being told that line about living 10 years less.
So I told the next agent I was working in "ecology"
Now there's a word that isn't used too often today
It would be easy enough to check to see if things have changed but many years ago, I was looking at longevity vs occupation data and it showed Chemists lived longer than the average citizen.
When I was in graduate school studying toxicology literally 50 years ago, a quote attributed to ACS was that chemists lived 10 years less than the average American. ACS long ago disputed such a quote, but I have never forgotten it, and from the chemistry labs I have monitored for safety and health practices in academia (the worst) and industry, I expect it may still be true today. We found so much dry Picric Acid in high school and college chemistry labs in 1985-90, that NJ issued an alert to all chemistry instructors in the state. One bottle in a Newark high school was so large the bomb squad estimated it would have destroyed the entire 2,000 student high school if it had been dropped on the floor in the storeroom.
George R. Thompson, PhD
President & CEO
Chemical Compliance Systems, Inc.
706 Route 15 South, Suite 207
Lake Hopatcong, NJ 07849
973.663.2148
973.906.3687 (cell)
973.663.2378 (fax)
georgethompson**At_Symbol_Here**chemply.com
www.chemply.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2014 5:15 PM
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Historical chemical safety quote?
> >In the latest edition of Prudent Practices, page 2, it is attributed to Liebig via Kekule
Bingo! Thanks for the memory jog.
- Ralph
Ralph Stuart, CIH
Chemical Hygiene Officer
Cornell University
rstuart**At_Symbol_Here**cornell.edu
