I can recall the moment when I first began to think seriously about this subject. Some years ago a student came up to me in the laboratory, explained that she was pregnant, and asked if there would be anything the class might be working with that day that she should avoid. She was asking a very good and important question, but I was not prepared for it. No one had ever asked me that question before. Fortunately, the laboratory exercise that day involved metric measurements and density determinations, and I could tell her with confidence that it posed no risk. But could I tell her that every week? Probably not.
I knew that women should avoid exposure to German measles during pregnancy, and I knew about the thalidomide tragedy, but I had never really thought about what hazards our laboratory experiments might present for students who happened to be pregnant. I checked with my colleagues, and it was clear that they had not thought about it either. At that time I had no idea as to whether or not some of our laboratory chemicals might be teratogenic. Yet the enrollment in our chemistry classes for students in health related fields was largely female, and many of these students were married. Quite a few of them already had young children. Surely we should expect now and then to have a pregnant student in one of our chemistry laboratories.
I began to give more attention to the materials our students were using in the laboratory and the possible dangers that might be associated with them. I had long been aware that many laboratory chemicals are poisonous and that acids and certain other substances are corrosive. I also knew that some compounds are highly flammable, some of them even pyrophoric, while others can be explosive. I learned many years ago always to inform students about any hazards associated with substances they might be encountering in the laboratory, and to suggest ways to minimize their risk.
For some time data had been accumulating about certain chemicals that are carcinogenic (cancer causing) or mutagenic (producing hereditary flaws). In fact, many colleges had already discontinued the use of several organic solvents because of their carcinogenic activity. Now here was yet another class of chemicals that we needed to be concerned about: teratogens--chemicals that can cause birth defects.
The particular student that I mentioned earlier did successfully complete that chemistry course. Sometimes she was excused from laboratory work, especially when there might be exposure to volatile organic liquids or noxious gases. On those days she would get all the information and measurements from her partner for writing up lab reports. Happily her baby arrived normal and healthy.
Of course, one way to circumvent the problem of exposure to possible teratogens in the laboratory would be to exclude all pregnant students from chemistry labs. Even if that could be accomplished, it still would not solve the problem. Students who enroll in chemistry courses might be pregnant, or soon to become so, without knowing it. Since the first trimester is a particularly vulnerable period for the rapidly developing embryo, damage could be done before a woman even began to realize that she might be at risk.
Clearly we need to take a look at the materials we are using in our undergraduate chemistry laboratories and determine whether or not our laboratories are safe for all students.
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