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