Chemical Education Today edited by
book & media reviews
Edward J. Walsh Allegheny College Meadville, PA 16335
Working Safely with Chemicals in the Laboratory: A Student Guide Christine E. Gorman, Ed. Genium: Schenectady, NY, 1993. 123 pp. Variable quantity pricing available. In these times of heightened environmental and safety consciousness, there is a need for a “user friendly” text for high school and undergraduate students in chemistry and related fields. This slim paperback volume may just be it! This manual clearly meets its goals of explaining why certain chemicals can cause serious harm to personnel or to the environment. Pertinent EPA and OSHA regulations are introduced painlessly and explained clearly as an integral part of this message. The book begins as a cartoon character, Hugh B. Careful, recounts a believable story of an accident in an academic lab as an introduction to a discussion of the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard. Succeeding chapters are entitled “What Makes a Chemical Hazardous?”; “Exposure Limits, Recognizing the Physical and Health Hazards of Chemicals”; “Material Safety Data Sheets”; “First Aid”; “Spill, Leak and Disposal Procedures”; “OSHA Regulations”; “What’s So Important About the EPA and Environmental Data?”; “Tips for Working Safely with Chemicals”; and “Chemical Profiles”.
There is a glossary of terms and abbreviations. “What Makes a Chemical Hazardous” begins with the OSHA definition and then clearly explains the various routes of entry of chemicals into the human body. This brief primer on very fundamental toxicology is usually missing in books of this size. The chapter on chemical profiles provides several lines of information on 91 common laboratory chemicals. It includes information on the primary hazard presented and information on relative health, reactivity, fire and special hazards through use of modified NFPA diamonds. If the substance is listed as a RCRA Hazardous Waste, that information is also given, along with the reason (such as reactivity, ignitability, corrosivity, or toxicity). The glossary provides more than 40 pages of simple definitions of over 500 terms and abbreviations commonly found on labels and in MSDSs. This section alone provides adequate reason to keep this small paperback handy. This is a very well conceived manual that will meet the needs of most college and university safety instruction programs. It would also be very useful as a quick reference source for the K-12 instructor. George H. Wahl, Jr. North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695
Vol. 74 No. 9 September 1997 • Journal of Chemical Education
1045
