Safety in a chemistry laboratory is a full-time job. It is not something that you can delegate to someone else. Your first line of defense in lab safety is your own common sense. If it is not yet strongly developed, work on it and nurture it. Your second line of defense is a ready reference that you keep next to your desk for instant reference. For biochemicals, try the Merck Index. You will use it often enough to wear it out during your career. The third line of defense are Material Safety Data Sheets that are sent with chemicals from the supplier. It is difficult to maintain an organized library of these MSDS, so get accustomed to consulting them on-line.

SIRI maintains three mirror sites to guarantee access.

Oxford University MSDS site.

A comprehensive MSDS site.

And finally, definitions of some of the mysterious terms used in the MSDS sheets.

The following questions will ask you to use MSDS sheets to provide appropriate answers.