Prior to the new school year, most science teachers select and order their lab chemicals. Before placing an order, however, teachers should consider the health risks associated with using hazardous chemicals in the classroom laboratory.

Making the right purchase

To purchase the least chemically hazardous material possible, science teachers should first determine whether the hazard is health, physical, or environmental by running a hazards analysis. This involves:

• securing and reviewing the Safety Data Sheet (i.e., Section 2: Hazard(s) Identification, Section 7: Handling and Storage, Section 8: Exposure Controls/Personal Protection, and Section 11: Toxicological Information),

• checking the appropriateness of the chemical’s use on Rehab the Lab’s school chemical list,

• reaching out to the chemical supplier for additional information on the chemical’s potential hazards,

• reading professional publications such as the Journal of Chemical Health and Safety for health and safety information on chemical hazards, and

• checking out the chemistry listserv on NSTA’s listservs.

Next, complete a risks assessment. Some risks related to chemicals might include:

• breathing in vapors, gases, and particulates;

• exposure to skin by splashing, dipping, and airborne dust;

• exposure to chemicals by sticking fingers in the mouth or eating or drinking;

• exposure to eyes from vapor, gasses, particulates, or splashes; or

• puncture of the skin.

Depending on the chemical, further safety actions might need to be taken. Check out the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Hierarchy of Controls (see image below) to take the appropriate action.

Additional considerations

Science teachers also need to consider several issues that may arise from using hazardous chemicals. First, they need to be aware of long-term exposure to hazardous chemicals, which can cause health complications. Appropriate ventilation in the lab, reading information in the Safety Data Sheet (SDS), and using personal protective equipment (e.g., particulate respirator) can help prevent long-term exposure. Employees usually have a right to be tested for exposure to hazardous chemicals and may ask their employer to have a worksite tested by a licensed industrial hygienist. If female employees or students who are pregnant will be working in your lab, be sure to read the SDS for information about reproductive toxins, harm to the fetus, and more.

Additionally: If you or a student is accidentally exposed to a hazardous chemical, read sections 3 (Hazards Identification Section), 5 (Fire and Explosion Data), 6 (Accidental Release Measures), and 10 (Stability and Reactivity Data) of the SDS. Finally, consider the storage and disposal of hazardous chemicals. The SDS Section 7 (Handling and Storage), local school policies, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the University of Iowa, and the National Fire Protection Association all have recommendations for storing hazardous chemicals. Before disposing of the chemicals, read section 13 (Disposal Considerations) of the SDS and check with the school facilities manager for information on how the chemical should be appropriately disposed of.

Submit questions regarding safety in K–12 to Ken Roy at safesci@sbcglobal.net, or leave him a comment below. Follow Ken Roy on Twitter: @drroysafersci.

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Last week in education news, DeVos’s signals hard-line approach on new federal education law; emergency effort to address teacher shortages in Wisconsin reflects larger education issues; teacher development model shows promising results; STEM education has well over 99 problems—but, for now, a lack of funding isn’t one; and physicist John Holdren is troubled by what has happened to the OSTP and to science policy under President Trump.

DeVos’s Hard Line On New Education Law Surprises States

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who made a career of promoting local control of education, has signaled a surprisingly hard-line approach to carrying out an expansive new federal education law, issuing critical feedback that has rattled state school chiefs and conservative education experts alike. Click here to read the article featured in The New York Times.

New Teachers Need A Master’s Support

Teaching is a craft and, as with any craft, neophytes should ideally work alongside the experts and artisans to soak up knowledge and experience along the path to mastery. David Krulwich, principal of the Urban Assembly School for Applied Math and Science, a college preparatory school serving grades 6 through 12 in the Bronx, says new teachers are too often left to fend for themselves, without the benefit of an artisan-apprentice relationship. Click here to read the article featured in District Administration.

Borsuk: ‘Emergency’ Effort To Address Teacher Shortages Reflects Larger Education Issues

Underlying the legal language lie questions that are causing big concern in perhaps every school district and independent school in Wisconsin this summer: Who’s going to fill the remaining open teaching jobs we have? How are we going to put together a staff when some specific positions are proving hard to fill? Are we really getting the best people we feasibly could to work in our classrooms? Click here to read the article featured in USA Today.

Teacher Development Model Shows Promising Results As Advocates Fear Funding Cuts

In 2012, the New Teacher Center received federal funding in order to pilot a teacher induction model program, hoping to work with educators in a range of school districts to offer substantive mentoring and professional development. The center expanded its model to three districts, including Chicago Public Schools, Broward County Public Schools in Broward, FL, and Grant Wood Area Education Agency in eastern Iowa. Late last month, an assessment of the NTC model showed some promising results, indicating that model offered students in grades 4-8 learning gains of as much as two to four months in English language arts and two to five months in mathematics over a three-year span. Click here to read the article featured in Education DIVE.

STEM Education Is Facing Over 100 Challenges. Can $28 Million Solve Them?

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education has well over 99 problems—but, for now at least, a lack of funding isn’t one. 100Kin10, the national nonprofit seeking to recruit, prepare, and support 100,000 STEM teachers by 2021, has mapped out over 100 “grand challenges” facing STEM education. And today, the organization announced that Google, Chevron, and other funders have committed over $28 million to help. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.

Science Is A Team Sport; Showing Students That May Boost Interest In STEM

Hollywood’s version of science—the lone genius toiling in the basement, the socially awkward computer engineer—stands in stark contrast to the real life, increasingly team-oriented work in science and engineering fields. A new study suggests correcting that misconception could encourage more American students to engage in science. Click here to read the article featured in Education Week.

Q&A: Former Obama Science Adviser John Holdren On The White House Science Office And Trump’s Science Policy

Physicist John Holdren, who for 8 years was Obama’s top aide on science and technology issues and also led the White House’s Office of Science and Technology (OSTP), is now back at Harvard University, where he is a professor of environmental policy in both the John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. He says he is troubled by what has happened to his office, and to science policy, under Trump. Holdren spoke with ScienceInsider about those concerns and about the role OSTP plays in supporting the president’s agenda. Click here to read the article featured in Science.

Stay tuned for next week’s top education news stories.

The Communication, Legislative & Public Affairs (CLPA) team strives to keep NSTA members, teachers, science education leaders, and the general public informed about NSTA programs, products, and services and key science education issues and legislation. In the association’s role as the national voice for science education, its CLPA team actively promotes NSTA’s positions on science education issues and communicates key NSTA messages to essential audiences.

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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