[Catalist] Corona virus, and implications for laboratory safety glasses

[Nardia BORDAS]

Hi everyone,
Science ASSIST has some advice on the pros - and cons - of cleaning safety glasses by various means, as well as more COVID-19 information with references:
https://assist.asta.edu.au/question/4552/should-shared-safety-glasses-be-decontaminated-after-each-use
Best wishes to all, hope things are improving out there!
Nardia Bordas
Laboratory Technician, Promotions Officer | School of Science, Edith Cowan University | 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup WA 6027 | AUSTRALIA | T +61 413084959 | n.bordas at ecu.edu.au<mailto:n.bordas at ecu.edu.au> | School website: www.ecu.edu.au/schools/science/overview<http://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/science/overview>

From: Catalist <catalist-bounces at lists.stawa.net> On Behalf Of Leon Harris
Sent: Wednesday, 4 March 2020 9:55 PM
To: catalist at lists.stawa.net
Subject: [Catalist] Corona virus, and implications for laboratory safety glasses


Greetings to all.

In this time of uncertainty, and bearing in mind the requirement to avoid needless panic, I would nevertheless like to draw to our groups attention the issue of safety glasses and COV-19 spread.

In many schools, lab sets of safety glasses are supplied as a means to meet insurance requirements for eye protection/ppe. While arguably they are frequently not necessary (when was the last time you wore safety glasses when making a vinaigrette in the kitchen, for example) they are a requirement in schools.

If your school has a communal, class set policy, you may need to consider the following points:



  *   Most classes don't disinfect safety glasses between lab sessions (huge burden on lab staff, time, and policing issues etc).
  *   COV-19 is a respiratory pathogen, and requires entrance to mouth/nose - the main protective advantage of a mask, if you are not yourself infectious, is to stop inadvertent hand-mouth transfer by forgetful touching of face.
  *   Safety glasses, if worn by someone infectious, are likely to concentrate virus around mouth/nose, and are likely to enhance infectiousness.



May I recommend that all schools provide a dettol bath to soak glasses in after each prac, and require students to rinse and dry them before wearing. (I'd like a 70% alcohol spray myself, but this isn't practical in a class environment).



I hope that this is a helpful suggestion, and that ordinary procedures, carried out with a bit of enhanced vigilance, will

help stop the infectious little snot pots in our care from killing either us or themselves enable us all to remain healthy in this uncertain time.



More philosophically, how much about this interesting, science-related set of events should we be discussing with our students? Where do the lines between not promoting panic and promoting understanding lie? It is an interesting set of moral questions for an educator, don't you think?



Cheers,

Leon

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