Category Archives: webinar

Reference material, webinar

ACS Webinar: How to Safely Manage Chemicals in Educational Settings

May 2023

Most professionals and educators understand the importance of safe chemical management in today’s world. Unfortunately, many undergraduate, graduate, and secondary education programs do not provide equal coverage of this critical competency.

Join Professor of Chemical Education Susan Wiediger of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Safety Education Consultant Samuella B. Sigmann as they discuss the fundamentals and best practices for chemical management, highlighting avenues for individuals to pursue more knowledge.

This ACS Webinar is moderated by Amanda Chung, Chemical Hygiene Officer at the University of North Texas and is co-produced with the ACS Division of Chemical Health & Safety and the Committee on Chemical Safety.

Presenters were Susan Wiediger, Professor, Chemical Education, Department of Chemistry, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Samuella B. Sigmann, Safety Education Consultant & Past Stockroom, Director, and Chemical Hygiene Officer, Appalachian State University (Retired).

What You Will Learn

  • How and why to organize chemicals based on hazard categories
  • Best practices for upkeep and maintenance of chemical storage areas
  • Essential information needed for inventory management including best labeling practices for secondary containers

Webinar Presentation

2023-05-18-chemical-management-chas1Download

The transcript of the Q&A following the presentation:

Reference material, webinar

ACS Webinar: Navigating Questions About Reproductive Health When in the Lab

October 6, 2022 @ 2:00 PM EDT

A recent analysis of the current guidance from more than 100 academic institutions’ Chemical Hygiene Plans (CHPs) indicates that the burden to implement laboratory reproductive health and safety practices is often placed on those already pregnant or planning conception. This report also found inconsistencies in the classification of potential reproductive toxins by resources generally considered to be authoritative, adding further confusion.

The publication can be found in JACS at
A Call for Increased Focus on Reproductive Health within Lab Safety Culture
Catherine P. McGeough,† Sarah Jane Mear,† and Timothy F. Jamison*

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.1c03725?ref=PDF

Other recent peer reviewed publications on the topic are
What to Expect When Expecting in Lab: A Review of Unique Risks and Resources for Pregnant Researchers in the Chemical Laboratory

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.chemrestox.1c00380?ref=PDF

Nature Comment on Pregnancy in the lab Feb 2022.pdf

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41570-022-00362-0

Presenters were Robin M. Izzo, Assistant Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety at Princeton University, Dr. Rich Wittman, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Stanford Health Care, and Dr. Katie McGeough, a Graduate Student at Boston College School of Social Work, as they discuss the findings reported in the Journal of American Chemical Society and provide both environmental health and safety and medical perspectives on risks to fertility, pregnancy, and other reproductive health concerns to all people working in the laboratory.

What You Will Learn

  • Understand the current state of knowledge relative to the potential reproductive health impacts of laboratory work, including chemical, biological and physical concerns 
  • Identify questions that people considering pregnancy or currently pregnant should ask about their work in the laboratory 
  • How to find and evaluate literature resources related to reproductive health issues in the lab

Webinar Presentation

  • The recording of this webinar is available to ACS members at http://www.acs.org/webinars
  • You can download the presentation file here:
2022-10-06-reproductive-health-chas3-finalDownload

The audience poll responses were: