RE: another intentional misuse

[Susan Gawarecki <loc@icx.net>]

Franz brings up some good points.  It seems to me that radioactive
materials are a relatively minor hazard in the university setting .  A
few years back University of South Carolina had a student commit suicide
in the lab using carbon monoxide.  In my experience, both students and
professors are inadequately protected during work with potentially
physically hazardous and carcinogenic chemicals.  The safeguards
followed by the universities generally come nowhere near what workers in
the hazardous waste industry are required to abide by.

In addition, many high school chem labs are accidents waiting to happen
due to the improper storage of chemicals, chemicals kept beyond
expiration dates (potentially leading to shock sensitivity, among other
problems), presence of "donated" materials that may be hazardous or
contaminated, etc.

When I was a geology graduate student, I worked with "heavy" oils for
microscopic ID of minerals.  We were offered no protection--no one
thought twice about touching these with ungloved hands or working in
unventilated areas.  These oils, I now know, are chlorinated organic
chemicals that are considered quite carcinogenic.

I know of several organic chemists and mineralogists who died fairly
young due to cancers of the liver, pancreas, or other internal organs,
likely due in part to decades of exposure to fumes and skin-absorbed
chemicals.  The radiation industry seems to be much more focused on
proper safety, handling, storage, and disposal procedures than the
chemists.
-- 
==================================================
Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director
Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee, Inc.
136 S Illinois Ave, Ste 208, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Phone (865) 483-1333; Fax (865) 482-6572; E-mail loc@icx.net 
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