Recent deaths while working in the lab

Some of you moan and groan when EHS comes to visit or when you have to sit through another lab safety training. For us the subject of lab safety is stressed to you with good reason. Deaths do occur in research labs, academic or industrial. Many times the death is a result of some small action that many of us do in our own research labs. Have you ever had a drop of a chemical fall on your gloves? Have you ever had the stopper come out of a syringe that you were trying to fill? Have you ever opened a bottle of something that had noxious fumes and inhaled it accidentally?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then you are lucky to be alive. Something as simple as one of those actions could have resulted in your death. For the three deaths that resulted, it all came down to the reagent they were working with.

Karen Wetterhahn was a chemistry professor at Dartmouth University. Her research was in the field of chromium carcinogenesis and it is this very research that resulted in her death. In 1996 Karen was the unfortunate victim of dimethylmercury poisoning. All it took was one drop of dimethylmercury on her latex glove and within 5 months Karen was in the hospital with mercury poisoning. The mercury was attacking her nervous system and treatment was too late. Karen died less than a year after her poisoning. The investigation during her illness and after her death showed that Karen did everything right. She handled the dimethyl mercury in a fume hood. She had on a lab coat, safety goggles, and gloves. She had read the MSDS regarding the hazards and was aware of how toxic dimethylmercy is considered. Unfortunately no one at the time knew that latex gloves were not adequate protection from dimethylmercury. The drop that she got on her glove had instantly soaked through the glove and was absorbed into her blood stream. Extensive research indicated that SilverShield gloves provided adequate protection, but were not indicated in the MSDS. Since Karen's death, the MSDS for dimethylmercury has been changed to instruct users to wear SilverShield gloves. Her death has also brought new awareness to scientists regarding the use of appropriate gloves when handling hazardous chemicals.

Roland Daigle was a pharmaceutical technician working at a pharmaceutical plant in Halifax, Nova Scotia in fall 2008. Daigle was working with trimethylsilyl diazomethane and began experiencing cold and flu-like symptoms. His symptoms progressed to difficulty breathing, coughing up blood, eventually his lungs dissolved and he died. The MSDS for trimethylsilyl diazomethane describes it as toxic by inhalation and effecting target organs such as the lungs, respiratory system, etc. Daigle knew what TMSdiazomethane could do to him, but it didn't make dying any easier.

In December 2008, Sheharbano (Sheri) Sangji was a research assistant in the chemistry department at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). On December 29 she was working alone in the lab with a Sure/Seal bottle of t-butyl lithium that she needed for her reaction. T-butyl lithium is pyrophoric and will catch fire upon exposure to air. While attempting to fill a syringe, the stopper came out, introducing the t-butyl lithium to air, and causing a flash fire. Sheri was burned over 40% of her body (2nd and 3rd degree). While she was wearing nitrile gloves and safety glasses, she did not have a lab coat on and her sweater caught fire. Sheri was immediately hospitalized, but passed away on January 16, 2009 as a result of her injuries. The investigation into the accident revealed that Sheri had been working alone and she was unsure of how to go about using a Sure/Seal bottle. It has been widely reported by other scientist that small flash fires are a common occurrence when working with t-butyl lithium. UCLA is re-evaluating their training to include instructions on the use of Sure/Seal bottles.

As you can see from the previous three examples, each person was following what they believed to be safe lab practices, but unfortunately the outcome was death. The number of accidents and deaths that result from unsafe lab practices is even greater. Use these examples as motivation to analyze your work procedure. Are you working as safely as possible? Is there someone else that can offer suggestions regarding best work practices? EHS is happy to help you and answer any questions that you have. All it takes is a phone call (982-4911).

General tips for working safely in the lab

As a scientist you can come into contact with a number of different materials. These materials range in risk level from benign to deadly. What is considered dangerous by a biologist might not be considered dangerous by a chemist and so on. It's all relative to the hazards that are encountered in your field of study and to how prepared you are to work with those materials.

Working safely in the lab should always be your number one priority. Yes, we want you to publish and be successful, but you can't do that if you are lying in a hospital bed recovering from a lab accident. Adopting good habits for working in the lab does not take a lot of time or effort. In fact, after a few days you don't even realize that you are doing them, they are part of your everyday life and routine. The benefits? These habits can save your life (and protect your project).

So what habits should you adopt for working safely in the lab? Here are some of the big ones:
1. Be current on your lab safety training
2. Ask questions if you don't know how to do something
3. Never work alone
4. Always wear your personal protective equipment (even when you aren't using chemicals in the lab)
5. Know the emergency procedures for your lab (who to call, where the safety shower and eyewash is, etc)
6. Store your chemicals properly
7. Handle chemicals in the fume hood and know how to use the hood properly
8. Keep your lab clean and organized

Most of these things only require you to slow down and pay attention. All of them can help keep you safe and ensure that your time at UVA is successful so that you can move on to your next endeavor.