U.S. Seeks Fine in Dartmouth Professor’s Mercury Death

HANOVER, N.H. — A federal agency has accused Dartmouth College of violating safety laws in the death of a researcher who spilled a highly toxic mercury compound on her protective glove.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration proposed a fine of $13,500 in the death of chemistry professor Karen Wetterhahn. She spilled a couple of drops of dimethyl mercury on her latex glove during an experiment in August 1996 and died from the exposure in June.

Federal investigators determined that the rare chemical, which attacks the central nervous system, penetrates latex gloves almost instantly and is absorbed through the skin.

The case “emphasizes the responsibility of all employers under the law to take every feasible precaution to ensure the safety and health of their employees,” said David May, OSHA’s director for New Hampshire.

The agency said Dartmouth didn’t provide enough training on the limitations of safety gloves, didn’t provide appropriate gloves for handling toxic chemicals and had a deficient chemical hygiene plan for its lab.