- Challenges of Legacy Chemicals - American Chemical Society Editors' Choice
C.A. Merlic, I. Schröder, and C.M. Kolodziej, 2025, ACS Chem Health Saf, 32, ahead-of-print
A summary of challenges presented by unused chemicals, or expired chemicals, that are no longer needed or usable for research, but remain stored in laboratories, often for many years. These chemicals create significant problems including numerous safety hazards and financial costs. - Lessons Learned - Explosion and Fires Resulting from Quenching Lithium, Lithium Nitride, and Sodium
I. Schröder, C.M. Kolodziej, J. A. Moreno 2024, and C.A. Merlic, 2024, ACS Chem Health Saf, 31:473-481
A thorough discussion of quenching considerations, challenges, and protocols with detailed guidance for quenching of reactive metals. - Proceedings of the 2023 Laboratory Safety Workshop - Human Factors: Safety and Technology
I. Schröder, and C.A. Merlic, 2024, ACS Chem Health Saf, 31:438-443.
The report summarizes the major outcomes of the 2023 Workshop on Laboratory Safety highlighting presentations and workgroup outcomes and providing actionable ideas to improve research safety for university leaders, EH&S professionals, principal investigators, research staff, and students. - Lessons Learned - Heat Gun Fire
C.A. Merlic, S.R. Zinn, and I. Schröder, 2024, ACS Chem Health Saf, 31, 217-221.
A faulty heat gun ignited a fire in a fume hood. - Lessons Learned - Lithium Aluminum Hydride Fires
C.A. Merlic, C.J. Ferber, and I. Schröder, 2022, ACS Chem Health Saf, 29:362–365.
Lithium aluminum hydride is a highly reactive reagent. This article alerts to friction-induced ignition causing fires and deficiencies in vendor-supplied Safety Data Sheets. - Proceedings of the 2021 Workshop on Laboratory Safety: Advancing Safety in Teaching and Research Laboratories
J.A. Martin, C.A. Merlic and I. Schröder, 2022, ACS Chem Health Saf, 29:34–37.
This article summarizes the outcomes of the 2021 Workshop on Laboratory Safety. - Introduction for Special Edition: Safety Policy, Regulations, and Codes from Around the World
I. Schröder and G.C. Ta, 2021, ACS Chem Health Saf, 28:387–388.
This article provides brief summaries of articles in this special edition. - Lessons Learned—Aluminum Waste Container Rupture
C. A. Merlic, and I. Schröder, 2021, ACS Chem Health Saf, 28:34-37.
This Lessons Learned article traces the rupture of a repurposed aluminum waste container to the reactivity of aluminum with its corrosive content-generating hydrogen gas. - COVID-19: A Risk Assessment Perspective
I. Schröder, 2020, ACS Chem Health Saf, 27:160-169.
The COVID-19 outbreak and spread are examined based on current literature, using a researcher’s perspective of risk assessment and risk mitigation; this approach is related to public health. - Proceedings of the 2018 Laboratory Safety Workshop: Hazard and Risk Management in the Laboratory
I. Schröder, E. Czornyj, M.B. Blayney, N.L. Wayne, and C.A. Merlic, 2020, ACS Chem Health Saf, 27:96-104.
The report summarizes the major outcomes of the 2018 Workshop on Laboratory Safety on Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment. The report includes actionable ideas to improve research safety for university leaders, EH&S professionals, principal investigators, research staff, and students. - Lessons learned - Fluoride Exposure
G.S. Svenningsen, B.R. Williams, M.B. Blayney, E. Czornyj, I. Schröder and Craig A. Merlic, 2020, ACS Chem Health Saf, 27:40-42.
The article describes an accidental exposure of a postdoctoral fellow working on battery development to hydrofluoric acid. This is an example of a chemical that, in combination with other chemicals, can permeate nitrile gloves. - Lessons learned- Mercury thermometer incident
E. Czornyj, I. Schröder, N. Wayne, and C.A. Merlic, 2019, J Chem Health and Safety, 26(4-5):6-8.
The article summarizes the cause of the incident, and the corrective actions taken, and provides recommendations on how incidents like this can be prevented. - Lessons learned - Organic peroxide incident
E. Czornyj, I. Schröder, N. Wayne, C.A. Merlic, 2019, J Chem Health and Safety, 26(3):3-4.
The article summarizes the cause of the incident, and corrective actions taken. It provides recommendations on how incidents like this can be prevented. - Lessons learned - Vacuum pump fire.
E. Czornyj, I. Schröder, N. Wayne, and C.A. Merlic, 2019, J Chem Health and Safety, 26(6):2.
The article summarizes the cause of the incident and corrective actions taken and provides recommendations on how incidents like this be prevented. - Biological Safety: Principles and Practices, 5th Edition
I. Schröder, 2019, Book Review for Emerging Infectious Diseases, 25:195.
The textbook covers a wide variety of topics including the identification, assessment, and management of biological hazards. The book also deals with bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogens as well as veterinary and clinical laboratory safety. This edition contains new topics such as molecular agents, prions, and the use of recombinant T-cells for cancer therapy. - Exposure assessment of laboratory workers to hazardous waste from mice treated with tamoxifen and bromodeoxyuridine
N. Wayne, S. Duarte-Vogel, S. Kraemer, and J. D. Rager, 2018, J Chem Health and Safety, 26(1):2-8.
A study on how quickly tamoxifen and bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) are metabolized and secreted by mice. The study impacts the treatment of animal waste procedures. - Proceedings of the 2016 workshop Safety by Design - Improving safety in research laboratories
E. Czornyj, D. Newcomer, I. Schröder, N.L. Wayne, and C.A. Merlic, 2018, J Chem Health and Safety, 25(4):36-49.
The report summarizes the major outcomes of the 2016 Workshop on Laboratory Safety and describes specific actions to improve the laboratory safety culture. - An approach to enhance the safety culture of an academic chemistry research laboratory by addressing behavioral factors
I.O. Staehle, T.S.J. Chung, A. Stopin, G. S. Vadehra, S. I. Hsieh, J.H. Gibson, and M.A. Garcia-Garibay, 2016, J Chem Ed, 93(2):217-222.
This article illustrates a novel and very effective method of involving students as lab safety coordinators on a rotating basis. - Laboratory safety attitudes and practices: A comparison of academic, government, and industry researchers
I. Schröder, D.Y.Q. Huang, O. Ellis, J.H. Gibson, and N.L. Wayne, 2016, J Chem Health and Safety, 23(1):12-23.
This article highlights the important role of faculty or lab supervisors in preventing accidents when they are actively involved in monitoring safety procedures and behavior in their lab. - Proceedings of the 2014 University of California Center for Laboratory Safety Workshop
I. Schröder, J.H. Gibson, and N.L. Wayne, 2016, J Chem Health and Safety, 23(1):35-45.
The outcomes of the 2014 Workshop on Laboratory Safety are summarized and the effect of the workshop on changing attendees' perception of researcher safety is highlighted. - A research university's rapid response to a fatal chemistry accident: Safety changes and outcomes
J.H. Gibson, I. Schröder and N.L. and Wayne, 2014, J Chem Health and Safety, 21(4):18-26.
This article summarizes changes to improve laboratory safety at UCLA following the fatal accident in 2008. - Proceedings of the 2012 University of California Center for Laboratory Safety Workshop
J.H. Gibson and N.L. Wayne, 2013, J Chem Health and Safety, 20(1):4-17.
This article summarizes suggestions and conclusions from the 2012 Workshop on Laboratory Safety instigated by the UC Center of Laboratory Safety.
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