Gruesome accident prompts call to find alternative to needles in chemistry labs
Injection injury involving trace amounts of dichloromethane caused serious tissue damage to student’s finger
After a horrific accident involving the routine transfer of a solvent, a French researcher has been raising awareness about the danger of sharp needles in the lab. He is now calling for alternatives to needles to be developed for the transfer of solvents or reagents to make labs safer.1
In June 2018, Nicolas, a 22 year-old student, was working in Sebastien Vidal’s lab at the University of Lyon 1. He emptied a syringe containing dichloromethane (DCM) into a flask, but then accidentally pricked his finger with it. Vidal estimates about two drops, or less than 100μL of DCM, was left in the needle and that this entered the finger.