The July issue of the CHAS newsletter went out to the CHAS membership this morning. Feedback about previous issues indicates that it ends up in some people's spam folders, so the text of the newsletter is below, in case you haven't seen it this morning.

Let me know if you have any questions about this.

- Ralph

News from ACS Division of Chemical Health & Safety

July 2022

In this issue:

    • CHAS Elections Underway!

    • Lab Manager Webinar and Focus Group opportunity

    • A Legacy in Laboratory Safety and A Champion for Women in Science

    • Climate Change and Labs

    • Peer Led Workshop update

CHAS Elections Underway!

The CHAS elections ballot has been emailed out to members. Robin Izzo is running for Chair-Elect unopposed. Debbie Decker, Kali Miller and Joe Pickle are running for Councilor. Check for an email sent on June 24 by Monique Wilhelm (CHAS secretary: mwilhelm**At_Symbol_Here**umich.edu) that will contain a unique link for you to vote. You should have received this email if you are a registered CHAS member; let Monique know if you can't find yours. The voting deadline is July 8, 2022!!!

Lab Manager Webinar and Focus Group opportunity

On June 29, Ralph Stuart presented a webinar for Lab Manager magazine on the topic of Preventing and Managing the Most Likely Lab Accidents. This presentation highlighted a variety of ACS safety resources produced over the last 5 years and described how they can be used in the context of two historical laboratory incidents, specifically the death of Dr. Karen Wetterhahn.

A recorded version of the webinar is available for viewing on the Lab Manager website. A PDF version of the presentation can be found on the CHAS web site, as well as the audience poll responses to the questions asked about their lab risk assessment processes.

This webinar was presented as part of the Divisions Innovative Project funded by the ACS to understand current practices in laboratory risk assessments and how ACS can support improving those practices. If you are interested in participating in this project, contact Ralph Stuart at membership**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org

- Ralph Stuart

A Legacy in Laboratory Safety and A Champion for Women in Science

Dr. Karen Wetterhahn was a pioneer in science at a time when women were a minority in her field.  Her research on the toxicity of heavy metals and her endeavors to help women advance in science were integral facets of her career during her lifetime.  Her contributions to lab safety have a lasting legacy that has endured well past her death in 1997 from an exposure to dimethylmercury.

C&EN commemorated Dr. Wetterhahn with the cover story on the 25th anniversary of her death.  She was well-versed in laboratory safety. She took the precautions she believed to be appropriately protective for working with dimethy lmercury while tackling this hazardous benchwork. This was at a time in her career when she was also navigating multiple administrative tasks, but she wanted to ensure the work was managed safely and with no risk to her team.

It was five months before the results of a few seemingly innocuous drops on her gloves would become apparent. Even then, while increasingly ill, Dr. Wetterhahn advocated for the safety of her lab members, demanding they be tested for mercury levels and that the chemistry community be alerted to the hazards of dimethylmercury.  The evolution of laboratory safety is owed in a large part to her, as the scientific community worked to ensure that her story is not forgotten.

- Shannon Nephew

Global Warming - Is Your Laboratory Ready?

The effects of global warming are leading to more natural disasters, and this increases the need for disaster planning. Of course, when a disaster happens there is no time to work through the details of emergency preparedness so putting a plan together in advance is essential!  At the same time, the process of doing that work can be daunting because it demands a lot of thought and commitment without an immediate payback (one hopes).

Nonetheless, the protection an established plan provides to life, health, and the environment can be priceless. And the protection it provides to materials, equipment, and facilities can more than pay off in the long run. That's what the upcoming ACS webinar scheduled for July 7, 2022, titled, "Are Hazardous Chemical Facilities Prepared for More Natural Disasters Due to Climate Change?" is about.

In addition, learning from others can make the process of devising a plan a lot easier. One 2018 Lab Manager magazine article, titled "Laboratory Disaster Planning: Lessons Learned from 2001 Tropical Storm Allison" helps illustrate this. And if your concerns are other natural phenomena such as wildfires, ice, or tornadoes, you can protect personnel, prevent chemical release, and minimize facility damage in those unpredictable situations, too, by turning to the experience of others in your locality. One way to do that is by consulting the laboratory emergency preparedness plans posted by others in your area.

When you are putting together your own, it's important to know what goes in it. The contents of an emergency preparedness document should include consideration of both unexpected conditions, such as loss of building water, power, ventilation, and temperature control, and anticipated conditions, such as hurricanes, floods, and ice storms. In addition, it should list how to safely return to a laboratory after a disaster or other extended absence.

A useful general outline to guide you through the essential components for a plan can be found in the Emergency Planning chapter of Prudent Practices in the Laboratory. Whatever approach you take, do the demanding work of preparing as soon as possible and schedule regular checks to make sure that your plan's contents are always current.

- Melinda Box

Lab Safety Team Workshop Update

The June LST workshop brought together 20 participants from 14 different universities within the United States and Canada. The group consisted of 8 graduate researchers, 2 safety professionals, 5 staff and 5 faculty. The workshop was facilitated by graduate student safety leaders  Amanda Chung (University of California, Irvine) and Hossain Shadman (University of Memphis) and moderated by Adelina Oronova (Michigan Technological University),  Dinesh Gautam (Ohio University), Christy Lynn Dyer (University of Memphis), Melissa Alfonso (University of Memphis), Ashan Wettasinghe (University of Texas at Dallas) and Brady Bresnahan (University of Minnesota).

In the introductory activity, participants were tasked to reflect on safety incidents or near misses they have experienced in their labs and if they think safety is adequately prioritized in their current lab environment. This was followed by a breakout room activity where group members shared their personal reflections with the goal of normalizing talking and learning about each other's safety incidents. During the laboratory safety team (LST) topic, the facilitators shared with the group how they became involved with their LST and  current projects they are working on including a Safety Brunch and Learn at the University of Memphis and Safety Seminars and roundtable discussions at University of California, Irvine. Some of the future projects the teams are planning on are starting an LST Safety Symposium and Monthly Safety Moments.

The workshop is supported by ACS Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS), ACS Chemical Safety Programs and ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety (DCHAS). Special mention to our LST Mentors, Jessica Martin (ACS Publications), Kali Miller (Stanford University), Tammy M. Lutz-Rechtin (University of Arkansas)  and Marta Gmurczyk (ACS Safety Program) for their time and contributions during the facilitators and moderators practice sessions and the workshop.

The next workshop is scheduled for Sunday, October 9, 2022 and will be facilitated by graduate safety leaders Adelina Oronova from Michigan Technological University, and Omar Leon Ruiz from the University of California, Los Angeles.

- Monica Nyansa

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