Fine Reduced in Death of College Professor

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration agreed to lower its fine against Dartmouth College for violating safety standards in the poisoning death of a chemistry professor.

Dartmouth will pay $9,000, instead of $13,500, to step up safety training in the labs, hire a qualified chemical hygiene officer and form a special committee to address the problems.

Karen Wetterhahn, 48, the college’s first female chemistry professor, died in June of mercury poisoning. She had worn latex gloves and goggles and worked under a ventilator to remove the toxic fumes in her lab in August 1996. But a tiny drop of the deadly mercury compound seeped through the gloves.

OSHA concluded the college violated federal safety standards designed to protect employees.