A Chinese student in our graduate program in the 80s told me that students either could not take, or could not major (slept too many times since then) in chemistry in China.  Not sure if it is true now, but I did find this at:

http://mbbs.cucas.edu.cn/HomePage/Univ_14.shtml#

Application Requirements and Materials

Entry Requirements:

1. High school graduate or above, qualified for university entrance, medically sound foreigners(applicants with color weakness and color blindness are not eligible to apply).
2. Emigrants from mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan applying as international students must have obtained their current foreign citizenship before April 30, 2011. In addition, the applicant must have lived abroad for at least 2 years during the period between April 30, 2011 and April 30, 2015.

What about anosmia? I have had to work on how to accommodate this one with stockroom personnel for safety issues as well.  It is not a recognized disability, but it is pretty scary to think about. I found out about this worker's loss of smell when a beaker of starch was left heating unattended on a hotplate.  The worker was in the office next door with no clue anything was burning. 

Any loss of our senses (Hah!) adds to the risk for lab workers. 
S-

Another anecdote:

When I was in undergraduate chemistry about 1950, my professor was finishing his thesis in reactions of permanganate.  He was colorblind also and had to have his wife read the color changes during the reactions.  That was before the automated graphing spectrophotometers and all had to be done by hand.  He would be in the lab for hours.

Kenneth Smith

Former CIH

-----Original Message-----

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety [mailto:DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU] On Behalf Of Debbie M. Decker

Sent: Thursday, February 09, 2017 9:13 AM

To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**PRINCETON.EDU

Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Color-blindness as a lab safety concern

An anecdote:

When I worked in aerospace, a colleague described a situation in which he and a group of fellow electrical engineers and electricians were working on wiring up a control panel for a nuclear power plant.  They got it all hooked up and tested the system and it didn't work.  Checked connections, etc. - nothing.  Repeat.  Finally decide to go to lunch and think about what might be wrong.  Over lunch, one of the group mentions that he's color blind.  You guessed it - turns out the entire crew, including my friend, were color blind and the wiring was all color-coded.  They finally found an admin person with normal color vision who helped them make sure the proper wire got connected where it was supposed to be connected.

My spouse is color-blind - it makes for some amusing family stories.

Debbie M. Decker, CCHO, ACS Fellow

Past Chair, Division of Chemical Health and Safety University of California, Davis

(530)754-7964

(530)304-6728

dmdecker**At_Symbol_Here**ucdavis.edu

Birkett's hypothesis: "Any chemical reaction that proceeds smoothly under normal conditions, can proceed violently in the presence of an idiot."

-----Original Message-----

On Behalf Of pzavon**At_Symbol_Here**ROCHESTER.RR.COM

Oh, my!  Yes, color blindness is a safety issue in the lab and lots of other place.  

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This e-mail is from DCHAS-L, the e-mail list of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety.

For more information about the list, contact the Divisional secretary at secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org

--- This e-mail is from DCHAS-L, the e-mail list of the ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety. For more information about the list, contact the Divisional secretary at secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org