Safety Guidelines for Pregnant Individuals in UMass Medical School’s Anatomy Resource Center

Safety Guidelines for Pregnant Individuals in UMass Medical School’s Anatomy Resource Center:

The University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School seeks to minimize the risks of working in its Anatomy Resource Center for all employees and students. Minimizing risks for people who are pregnant is especially important due to the sensitivity of the fetus to specific chemicals, biological agents and ionizing radiation. All lab workers should know the hazards of the materials with which they work and it is important to recognize that an individual’s susceptibility to those hazards may change due to factors such as pregnancy.

Information about specific hazardous materials may be found in Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), labels, and literature from Environmental and Safety or from the Director of Anatomic Services. All employees, including those who are pregnant, are encouraged to make use of these sources of information. Safe laboratory procedures minimize exposure for all laboratory employees and, if followed faithfully, they also protect the developing fetus.

The federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act prevents UMass Chan from compelling an individual to disclose that they are pregnant, and it prevents them from being assigned to different tasks simply because of the pregnancy. If someone willingly informs faculty of a pregnancy then additional assessments, precautions or other accommodations can be implemented. Colleges, departments and faculty will determine the extent to which a pregnant lab worker or lab student can be excused from lab requirements or what accommodations can be made.

In all cases, a pregnant individual should discuss the laboratory environment with their medical care professional and provide specific information about potential exposures.

• Request from the Department, an altered assignment within the lab either through a change in lab duties, a reduced time frame within the lab or a change in location*;

• Request a delay in entry into the academic program requiring the laboratory work*; or

• Continue to work in a laboratory by utilizing the regular safety precautions that have been developed for

  the laboratory.

Additionally pregnant lab particpants can:

• Request a hazard assessment with Environmental Health & Safety to understand those potential exposures and protective measures that should be utilized;

*Please note that requests for altered schedules might not be able to be honored.

There is conflicting information about the effects of formaldehyde exposure during pregnancy, so the consequences are unclear. The first trimester is the most vulnerable time. There is no safe level of formaldehyde exposure.

Recommendations for Medical Students

Under the advisement and care of your doctors, there are things we can do to minimize your exposure during the anatomy course:

• You will need a respirator from Student Health before working in the anatomy lab and need to follow the instructions to ensure it is working properly
• You should be prepared to wear a respirator whenever in the A-Labs, regardless of activities (eg. radiology, exam, dissection, prosections, osteology)

• We can provide further protection from skin absorption with Tyvek sleeves
• You may choose not to participate in “highest exposure” days – opening the thorax and opening the abdomen
As long as you and your doctors are comfortable with you participating in the labs, and follow the precautions above, you will be able to participate in the anatomy lab dissection portion of the anatomy curriculum.