12 Facts About Karen Wetterhahn

Karen Elizabeth Wetterhahn, known as Karen Wetterhahn Jennette, was an American professor of chemistry at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, who specialized in toxic metal exposure.

Karen Wetterhahn earned her bachelor's degree from St Lawrence University in 1970 and her doctorate from Columbia University in 1975.

Karen Wetterhahn joined Dartmouth's faculty in 1976 and published more than 85 research papers.

In 1990, Wetterhahn helped establish Dartmouth College's Women in Science Project, which helped to raise the share of women science majors from 13 to 25 percent at Dartmouth College and has become a national model.

Karen Wetterhahn was using dimethylmercury, at the time the standard internal reference for nuclear magnetic resonance measurements.

Karen Wetterhahn would recall that she had spilled several drops of dimethylmercury from the tip of a pipette onto her latex-gloved hand.

Karen Wetterhahn's exposure was later confirmed by hair analysis, which showed a dramatic jump in mercury levels 17 days after the initial accident, peaking at 39 days, followed by a gradual decline.

Approximately three months after the initial accident Karen Wetterhahn began experiencing brief episodes of abdominal discomfort and noticed significant weight loss.

Three weeks after the first neurological symptoms appeared, Karen Wetterhahn lapsed into what appeared to be a vegetative state punctuated by periods of extreme agitation.

Karen Wetterhahn's death prompted consideration of using an alternative reference material for mercury NMR spectroscopy experiments.

Karen Wetterhahn's death shocked not only the entire chemistry department at Dartmouth, but regulatory agencies, as the accidental exposure occurred despite her having taken all measures required at that time.

Karen Wetterhahn's legacy includes a significant and lasting improvement in laboratory safety.