You asked: "Do the art students accept the hazard and hazard-avoidance information at face value more readily? I would assume so."
The art and theater students arrive split in two camps:
1) we are immortal, risk is a good and necessary part of the artistic process and how dare you try to obstruct our pathway to becoming great artists; and
2) everything is toxic, part of a capitalist plot and I've brought my glass bottle of aloe juice to keep hydrated during your boring lecture.
In addition, both camps arrive with almost no capacity to reason, have no math skills so statistics are hard to use, have no clue what a chemical is much less that it comes in the forms of gases, vapors, fumes, dusts, nanoparticles, and smoke, and many more deficits directly attributable to restructuring educational institutions to attract students rather than to teach them something.
It is why I will not do a hazcom training in under 4 hours. I have worked out a devious system to build those basics into the training in way they can use the concepts as soon as they learn them. Come see me sometime. You are unlikely to be bored. And all my tricks are free for the stealing.
Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A., Industrial Hygienist
President: Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.
Safety Officer: Local USA829, IATSE
181 Thompson St., #23
New York, NY 10012 212-777-0062
-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Kuespert <dkuespert**At_Symbol_Here**JHU.EDU>
To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Sent: Wed, Feb 17, 2016 8:28 am
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Updated glove video
I quite agree on all points. Just pointing out that we're simplifying the issue (which is something I'm often in favor of, assuming the simplification errs on the conservative side.
As far as art students understanding versus chemistry students, I find that the researchers tend to reject "safety rules" out of hand unless the reasons behind them and, to some extent, the limitations of the assumptions used, are explained to
them. Do the art students accept the hazard and hazard-avoidance information at face value more readily? I would assume so.
regards,
dan
Cool. But I wouldn't make it this complicated for the video. The only two things needed are:
1. Information that many chemicals can penetrate gloves quickly without changing their appearance or elasticity, and
2. A single sentence from the first paragraph of the glove chart:
"Gloves should be removed and replaced immediately if incidental splash exposure occurs."
Calculating dose based on the chart is interesting but can underestimate risk if the gloves are tight or stretched over the portion of the hand where the splash occurs.
So erring on the side of caution and simply removing and replacing them is the best strategy.
Besides, this is the
manufacturer's recommendation. There are legal reasons for including it.
For those that don't have the chart, the whole first paragraph is:
"Incidental Exposure Only
Kimberly-Clark* Nitrile Gloves are thin gauge disposable gloves designed to provide
barrier protection and tactile sensitivity to the wearer. Our thin mil gloves are not designed
for applications involving prolonged, direct exposure to chemicals. Our intent in providing
this chemical compatibility information is to provide a guideline for use of our thin mil gloves in
applications where incidental splash exposure to various chemicals may occur. Gloves should be
removed and replaced immediately if incidental splash exposure occurs."
Come on guys. If the people I train in your art departments understand this, surely your chemistry students can. Onward and upward.
Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A., Industrial Hygienist
President: Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.
Safety Officer: Local USA829, IATSE
181 Thompson St., #23
New York, NY 10012 212-777-0062
-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Kuespert <
dkuespert**At_Symbol_Here**JHU.EDU>
To: DCHAS-L <
DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Sent: Tue, Feb 16, 2016 7:41 am
Subject: Re: [DCHAS-L] Updated glove video
I mentioned this to Ralph offline since I thought it a bit off-topic, but Monona's post makes it relevant. One thing we need to be inculcating in students is the difference between incidental contact and immersion/frequent contact applications of gloves.
I know of an incident that involved researchers (accidentally) spraying acetonitrile solution on their K-C Purple Nitrile gloves instead of 70% ethanol. Fortunately, acetonitrile is volatile and it was determined that the gloves would stay wet
for a minute or less, during which K-C's penetration data indicated a dose in the tens of picograms range. If they'd been dipping their hands in the mixture or washing handheld microscope slides for a half-hour or something, there would have been the potential
for a much larger dose. Similarly, if Karen Wetterhahn had immediately removed her latex gloves instead of finishing her work first, she might have avoided her lethal dose of dimethylmercury.
I think it's important that students understand that the application/expected contact time affects the choice of suitable gloves. If you can expect very short contact time (and the penetration time isn't near-instant), AND your application is
such that you'll actually notice the exposure, the Purple Nitrile gloves are suitable even for some chemicals that are colored red on the K-C chart. It's kind of a complicated topic, though, so I don't see it being related in a video. Having a full understanding
of the issues involved in this might, as a side effect, encourage researchers to design their experiments to minimize the potential for hand contact (holding the slides with forceps to keep the hands out of the rinse solvent stream, etc.)
(In the incident mentioned, there was of course a potential for inhalation exposure; fortunately, the spray was carried out in a ventilation stream right in front of a BSC, in a direction away from the researcher's breathing zone, so that was
minimal.)
regards,
dan
=============================
Dr. Daniel R. Kuespert
Homewood Laboratory Safety Advocate
Krieger School of Arts & Sciences/Whiting School of Engineering
The Johns Hopkins University
103G Shaffer Hall
3400 North Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21218
(410) 516-5525
In the first student video, why not simply say that both methanol and methylene chloride are capable of penetrating these thin nitrile Kimberly Clark gloves in under a minute? And that
if users are interested they can use the chart to see the rate at which the solvent is passed through the glove? And why not actually use Kimberly Clarks' recommendation that gloves be immediately removed if there is an incidental splash of the chemicals on
the glove?
Monona Rossol, M.S., M.F.A., Industrial Hygienist
President: Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety, Inc.
Safety Officer: Local USA829, IATSE
181 Thompson St., #23
New York, NY 10012 212-777-0062
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