A website by the Department for Safety and Environment at the Rhenish Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn, the universities of Berlin, Bielefeld, Marburg, Duisburg- Essen and the Statuory Accident Insurance for the Public Sector North Rhine-Westphalia. The website “handling of carcinogenic, mutagenic and reproduction toxic substances in lab courses (KMR/CMR-dangerous substances in lab courses)" can be seen as an instruction manual in case of exposure to these substances in university chemical lab courses. It is an online information platform which is freely accessible. The origin of this website was due to a vigorous debate, whether chemistry students should actually deal with substances which can cause cancer, genetic alterations or teratogenesis in their lab courses and if so, how they should start to do it. Handling carcinogenic, mutagenic and reproduction toxic substances in chemical lab courses can be very dangerous – in short term because of the accident risk, but as well in long term because of health dangers. Avoiding accidents can be easily done, and most of the students may know how to do so, but cmt substances are more insidious. Work- related cancer is not a question of short term, but can emerge after years. Because of this, knowing about the risks of working with these substances is of high importance. Paying attention to these hazards does not only mean to take care of your own company or lab, it means long- term health care for your staff. The KMR website shows how to avoid risks and how to handle these substances safely.

Level of Education: Initial vocational education and training, Higher education, Continuing vocational education and training

Lead Organisation: Abteilung Sicherheitswesen und Umweltschutz der Rheinischen Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn

Go back