The Consumer Product Safety Commission will recommend an information network to inform students and teachers of current toxicity evaluations of chemicals and of possible use of less hazardous substitutes. Lists names of 33 suspected carcinogens and 11 suspected teratogens. (SK)

Indicates that specific laboratory standards for handling chemical carcinogens should become law in the near future. Small colleges and universities may have financial trouble in complying with laboratory safety standards investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (GS)

Discusses the improvement of safety and health conditions in academic chemistry laboratories. Included are 14 recommendations for improving laboratory safety. (SL)

Discusses danger of explosions with molten salts baths, commonly used as heat-transfer media. One such explosion involved use of a bath containing 3-lb sodium nitrite and 1-lb potassium thiocyanate. Although most commercially available mixtures for heat transfer contain oxidizers, a reducer (thiocyanate) was included which possibly triggered the…

Explains the need for methods of increasing students' and administrators' awareness of safety procedures in the chemistry laboratory. Suggests increasing formal courses in safety and cites difficulties inherent in increasing safety courses including the lack of funding and an already overcrowded chemistry curriculum. (DS)

Describes safety committee (New York section, American Chemical Society) survey of college chemistry facilities to assess hazards and make recommendations, and a cooperative project in Iowa to identify and remove hazardous chemicals from college/secondary school classrooms. Includes a partial list of hazardous chemicals identified by the Iowa…

Outlines a survey of laboratory practices and policies for employee protection from exposure to chemicals. Findings support the argument that academic, industrial, and other research laboratories are different from the manufacturing environment and should have a different toxic chemical policy and standards. (Author/SK)

Estimates that about 30,000 universities, colleges, and high schools produce a total of 4000 metric tons of hazardous waste annually. Discusses the difficulties that academic institutions have in disposing of small amounts of waste. Lists college courses with the potentially hazardous wastes usually produced. (MVL)