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Subject: [DCHAS-L] Papers wanted for Two Symposia for SF ACS meeting in August
Date: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 16:45:07 -0500
Author: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" 		Next by Date:
Subject: [DCHAS-L] CHAS Tweets and Chemical Safety headlines (9 articles)
Date: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 07:39:29 -0500
Author: Secretary ACS DCHAS

From: Ralph B. Stuart <rstuart**At_Symbol_Here**CORNELL.EDU>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] Class lab safety precautions
Date: Sun, 24 Nov 2013 21:51:15 +0000
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: 5564F9EDC11C09468EE5DAF02B5CB30F4C4A737C**At_Symbol_Here**BY2PRD0410MB376.namprd04.prod.outlook.com


I was reviewing the article below in the Journal of Chemical Education discussing a process for undergrads to do nanoparticle work. I was pleased to see that the article included a section on hazards associated with the lab. However, I was a little confused by the nomenclature used by the authors. They seem to be distinguishing between chemicals which require skin protection, those which should be "handled with care" and those which should be handled "with extreme care".

I'm not entirely clear what those phrases mean in this context and I'm not sure how I would interpret them in terms of specific recommendations for, for example, which gloves to use when, or if the authors have other precautions in mind. I wonder if DCHAS-L readers can help me what these differences mean in practical terms?

Thanks for any help with this.

- Ralph

Catalytic Reduction of Hexavalent Chromium Using Palladium Nanoparticles: An Undergraduate Nanotechnology Laboratory

Hazards

Standard procedures for safe handling of chemicals should be followed. Students must wear goggles at all times. Concentrated sulfuric acid and formic acid are hazardous and corrosive; thus, students should wear gloves when pouring or mixing concentrated acids. Palladium acetate is corrosive and contact with the skin should be avoided. The preparation of the PdNPs should be set up in a fume hood. N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) is an hazardous solvent and should be handled with care. Potassium chromate and Cr(VI) solutions are known carcinogens and students should handle these with extreme care. In addition, sodium borohydride is hazardous in case of contact with skin, eye, and ingestion, or inhalation. Allergic contact dermatitis to Pd in people exposed to Pd nanoparticles in urban environments has been reported; hence, students should handle the synthesized PdNPs with care.(27) Students should contact the instructor or the laboratory coordinator to clean up any spills immediate!
ly and wash their hands thoroughly with water at the completion of the laboratory exercise. No waste generated during this lab experiment should be disposed down the drain.

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/ed300229r


Ralph Stuart CIH
Chemical Hygiene Officer
Department of Environmental Health and Safety
Cornell University

rstuart**At_Symbol_Here**cornell.edu

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