Cal-OSHA Reporter September 15, 1997 HEADLINE: OSHA NAILS COLLEGE FOR DIMETHYL MERCURY DEATH Dartmouth College has been cited for violations of safety laws following the death of chemistry professor Karen Wetterhahn, who had been working with dimethyl mercury when she spilled a couple of drops on her latex glove during an experiment in 1996. OSHA investigators determined that the chemical, which attacks the central nervous system, penetrates latex gloves almost instantly. David May, OSHA's director for New Hampshire, said the college faced proposed penalties of $13,500. OSHA alleges that Dartmouth didn't provide enough training on the limitations of safety gloves, did not provide appropriate gloves for handling toxic chemicals and had a deficient chemical hygiene plan for its lab. Copyright 1997 Crain Communications Inc. Rubber and Plastics September 08, 1997 SECTION: News; Pg. 6 LENGTH: 556 words HEADLINE: OSHA CITES DARTMOUTH COLLEGE IN GLOVE DEATH BYLINE: John Campanelli Rubber & Plastics News Staff HANOVER, N.H.--The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Dartmouth College for failing to warn its lab researchers about the limitations of latex gloves and for other safety violations stemming from the death of a professor. Professor Karen Wetterhahn, a world leader in research chemistry, died June 8--about 10 months after spilling dimethyl mercury on her latex gloves while transferring the rare compound in the lab. A few drops of the chemical seeped through the gloves and were absorbed into Wetterhahn's system. Dartmouth uses latex gloves from several different manufacturers, so the brand of the gloves she was wearing may never be known, college officials said. Wetterhahn began feeling the effects of the exposure in January, when she began slurring her speech, losing her balance, and suffering vision and hearing loss. Tests revealed more than 80 times the lethal dose of mercury in her system. Shortly afterward, she fell into a coma and never regained consciousness. On Aug. 18, OSHA proposed a $13,500 fine, ruling that Dartmouth did not adequately train Wetterhahn and other researchers about the potential limits of latex gloves and failed to select appropriate hand protection for lab workers. ''This was a tragic occurrence which saddens all of us who were involved in the investigation,'' said David May, OSHA's area director for New Hampshire. ''It also illustrates just how dangerous some substances can be.'' Disposable latex gloves offer no protection from certain rare--and deadly--mercury compounds which can almost instantaneously permeate the gloves, according to OSHA. Dartmouth officials are discussing whether to contest the fine, said Michael B. Blayney, Dartmouth's director of environmental health and safety. ''We have worked openly with and cooperated with OSHA,'' Blayney said. ''We're going to do the right thing and the appropriate thing. ''What I don't want is for this to become an us vs. them,'' he said. ''There's no adversarial relationship with OSHA. ... We want to look at the big picture. ... We want to use this in a way that so other tragedies don't occur.'' As a result of Wetterhahn's death, the college has: placed brightly colored warning stickers on boxes of latex and polyvinyl chloride gloves, cautioning users that the products are not intended for use with hazardous chemicals; warned other colleges and research laboratories about the dangers of dimethyl mercury and other hazardous materials; instituted workshops to educate its faculty and staff on proper glove selection and the limitations of certain products; and informed the only two suppliers of dimethyl mercury about Wetterhahn's death and urged them to warn all of their customers about the compound's danger. Because so few researchers use dimethyl mercury, the compound's dangers were relatively unknown before Wetterhahn's death. Only one other known death from exposure to the chemical has been recorded this century, according to the college. In the early 1970s, a Czech researcher died while processing the chemical. Professor Wetterhahn probably felt the gloves she was wearing were protecting her, according to Blayney. ''In her mind she felt that she had dealt with it,'' Blayney said. ''We now know--at a very high price--that she hadn't.'' September 08, 1997 SECTION: News; Pg. 6 LENGTH: 500 words HEADLINE: LABELS WARN OF LATEX GOODS' LIMITATIONS BYLINE: John Campanelli Rubber & Plastics News Staff HANOVER, N.H.--Latex gloves don't contain carbon monoxide, impair driving, raise birth defect risks or cause cancer in laboratory rats. But go to Dartmouth College and you'll find a stern, brightly colored warning label on each box of latex gloves. The warning is not from the surgeon general or the glove makers. It's from the college, the result of a chemistry professor's death earlier this summer. Karen Wetterhahn died in June, about 10 months after a few drops of a rare compound spilled on her latex gloves. The lethal chemical, dimethyl mercury, instantaneously seeped through the gloves and was absorbed into her skin. By the time Wetterhahn began feeling the symptoms of mercury poisoning months after the August 1996 spill, her central nervous system was irreversibly damaged. Dartmouth officials have speculated Wetterhahn was under the misconception her latex gloves provided protection from dimethyl mercury. Now, the college wants to make sure no one else makes the same mistake and is warning all latex glove users. The new labels tell Dartmouth College researchers latex and polyvinyl chloride gloves ''are not intended for use with hazardous chemicals.'' The warnings are part of a new safety program on campus that educates researchers about the limitations of latex gloves and proper glove selection. The death of Wetterhahn, a world-renowned researcher and pioneer for women in science, was a ''terrible loss'' for Dartmouth, the scientific community and for her friends and family, said Michael B. Blayney, Dartmouth director of environmental health and safety. He is leading a push for glove makers to voluntarily put warnings on their products. Blayney admits the vast majority of latex glove users are in the medical industry, where the gloves are an excellent protective barrier against many substances. But there's also a niche in the latex glove market serving researchers who at times work with hazardous materials. U.S. latex glove manufacturer Safeskin Corp. already includes a warning on its package about ''harsh chemicals,'' said Jeff Martin, Safeskin vice president of marketing. ''I think the customers want to see this information,'' he said. ''We're responding to customers' needs.'' Safeskin's warning says, ''Although good quality latex gloves provide an excellent biological barrier, they are not intended for applications involving prolonged, direct exposure to harsh chemicals, where heavy duty or industrial gloves are required.'' Safeskin's labels also warn users about latex allergies and the proper storage of gloves. The firm also provides chemical resistance and barrier guides for their gloves. Although warning labels aren't universal in the industry, increased concerns about safety and latex allergies are pushing more makers to include them on their packages, Martin said. Dartmouth's Blayney said he hopes all glove makers will add the warnings so no other researchers end up in potentially fatal situations.