Hazards of common solvents

JUL 01, 1950

Toxic, perhaps for the same reasons that make them such good solvents, benzol, carbon tetrachloride, and several other reagents are commonly and often carelessly used in almost all laboratories. Physics Today presents another in a series of articles dealing with common laboratory substances which must be handled with care.

DOI: 10.1063/1.3066932

Harriet L. Hardy

Somehow people working in the fields of exact science must be persuaded to accept the great variation in the reactivity of biological and hence human material to exposure to chemical agents. Certain organic solvents, widely used in the laboratory, are potentially very toxic. The importance of recognizing how different people vary widely in their reactions to these toxic materials cannot be overemphasized in evaluating the relative hazards of materials in use in modern laboratories. Proper procedures, hoods and required protective equipment, substitution of a safe for a toxic material where possible—all provide means for safe work. Scientists working with these materials must, however, know the dangers. Familiarity should breed caution.

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More about the authors

Harriet L. Hardy, Massachusetts General Hospital.