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Subject: [DCHAS-L] Upcoming Talk: Teaching Sustainability and Environmental Justice in Engineering Ethics
Date: Monday, March 21, 2022 at 6:17:20 PM
Author: Ralph Stuart <membership**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG> 		Next by Date:
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] OSHA materials on Karen Wetterhahn's mercury exposure
Date: Tue, 22 Mar 2022 06:29:11 -0500
Author: Natalie Merrill

From: Monona Rossol <0000030664c37427-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU>
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] OSHA materials on Karen Wetterhahn's mercury exposure
Date: Mon, 21 Mar 2022 22:54:17 +0000
Reply-To: Monona Rossol <actsnyc**At_Symbol_Here**cs.com>
Message-ID: 210190648.1576288.1647903257638**At_Symbol_Here**mail.yahoo.com
In-Reply-To


That document is the same as I remember it.  And the lines the burnt my cork were these:

"In 1996, while preparing an experiment that involved the use of dimethyl mercury, Professor Wetterhahn spilled a few drops of the compound on her gloved hand. Though the latex gloves she was wearing were believed to be protective, they proved to be inadequate in preventing exposure to this potent form of mercury. Unknown to Professor Wetterhahn, the toxin passed through the glove and was absorbed into her system."

in 1996 I had been regularly teaching and training on gloves for years using the ASTM break through time charts.  And Kimberly Clark also had information on their website at that time about the examining gloves not being protective against chemicals.  I was training workers in the art and entertainment industries.  She was in the chemistry department at Dartmouth for gosh sakes. Where was their training program for not only faculty, but students?  How dare they say it the gloves "were believed to be protective?"  By whom?  And why?  It should have been clearly stated that Dartmouth's OSHA Lab Standard training was defective, and it was their faulty she didn't know.

Monona


-----Original Message-----
From: Russell Vernon <russellnvernon**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com>
To: Monona Rossol <actsnyc**At_Symbol_Here**cs.com>
Cc: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**princeton.edu>
Sent: Mon, Mar 21, 2022 1:37 pm
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] OSHA materials on Karen Wetterhahn's mercury exposure


On Mon, Mar 21, 2022 at 12:10 AM Monona Rossol <0000030664c37427-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**lists.princeton.edu> wrote:
Certainly do remember it.  I wrote a couple articles myself at the time, And I was impressed that Ed Movitz got that OSHA citation so fast.  Nice work.

Monona


-----Original Message-----
From: John Callen <jbcallen**At_Symbol_Here**gmail.com>
To: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Cc: Ralph Stuart <ralph.stuart**At_Symbol_Here**keene.edu>; Monona Rossol <actsnyc**At_Symbol_Here**cs.com>
Sent: Sun, Mar 20, 2022 9:03 pm
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] OSHA materials on Karen Wetterhahn's mercury exposure
Jillian,

In addition to Edward Movitz' attachment, I'm sure you are aware the C&EN had published two articles about Karen Wetterhahn as reference in Wikipedia:


In the meantime and although it did not relate to (CH3)2Hg but rather just Hg, I was tangentially involved with the Pymm Thermometer Company and OSHA back in 1981 in New York City.  There is still plenty of documentation in the literature on it.  I'm sure that Monona Rossol surely remembers this case too!

Good Luck!

All My Best,

John B. Callen, Ph.D.
3M Personal Safety Division - Retired
ACS/DCHAS Founding Member
(312) 632-0195


On Mar 20, 2022, at 18:41, Edward Movitz <movitz**At_Symbol_Here**OLEMISS.EDU> wrote:


 
Edward M. Movitz
Research and Environmental Compliance Officer Emeritus

Treasurer 
American Chemical Society Ole Miss Local Section
P.O. Box 961
Oxford, MS 38655-0961
From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> on behalf of Jyllian Kemsley <jyllian.kemsley**At_Symbol_Here**GMAIL.COM>
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2022 5:31 PM
To: DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] OSHA materials on Karen Wetterhahn's mercury exposure
 
[EXTERNAL]

Hi all,

C&EN is working on a story memorializing Karen Wetterhahn's death 25 years ago from mercury poisoning. We requested OSHA's file on the incident, but it was destroyed several years ago per the agency's document policy. Does anyone still have OSHA records from the incident? We are working with Michael Blayney, but I thought I'd see what else might be out there.

Thank you for your help,
Jyllian

Jyllian Kemsley, PhD (she/her)
Executive Editor, policy and content partnerships
Chemical & Engineering News
j_kemsley**At_Symbol_Here**acs.org  
M:  (+1) 925-519-6681 | Skype: jyllian.kemsley
Twitter: **At_Symbol_Here**jkemsley
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