>do you think that these guidelines will apply to students of chemistry major and students of non chemistry major? I am thinking on students of geology, civil engineering, industrial engineering that use our chemistry labs.

That is a very interesting question, particularly because non-chemistry majors are not likely to take many chemistry courses after their sophomore year and it's difficult to imagine sneaking all of the materials outlined in the ACS documents into two years of lab classes. However, at least we now have an outline of chemical safety content for all lab people to work with.

Another challenge these guidelines present is that they address chemical issues, but many labs work with a mix of hazards beyond chemicals (e.g. biological and nano agents) that aren't addressed by the guidelines. So there are limitations to these documents, but I'm glad to see the ACS take the leadership on the broader issue of lab safety concerns in general.

Thanks for raising this question.

- Ralph

Ralph Stuart, CIH, CCHO
Chemical Hygiene Officer
Keene State College

ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu

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