ACS CP Professional Ethics & Safety Standards 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A pharmaceutical chemist is asked to sign off on a batch that fails purity specifications but is told it will be used internally for further testing. The chemist should:
- Sign off since it won't reach consumers
- Refuse to certify results that don't meet specifications and document the discrepancy (Correct answer)
- Request a colleague to sign instead
- Adjust the specification limits to match the batch results
Correct answer: Refuse to certify results that don't meet specifications and document the discrepancy
Certifying non-conforming results is data fraud regardless of the material's end use; the chemist must refuse and document.
Question 2: The principle of 'informed consent' in chemical research involving human subjects requires that participants:
- Are told only the general purpose of the study
- Receive full disclosure of risks, benefits, and the right to withdraw (Correct answer)
- Sign a waiver of liability before participating
- Are anonymous and unaware of chemical exposures
Correct answer: Receive full disclosure of risks, benefits, and the right to withdraw
Informed consent mandates complete disclosure of potential risks, expected benefits, and voluntary participation with the right to withdraw.
Question 3: Which GHS pictogram indicates an acute toxic chemical (Category 1–3)?
- Flame over circle
- Skull and crossbones (Correct answer)
- Exclamation mark
- Health hazard (silhouette with star)
Correct answer: Skull and crossbones
The skull and crossbones GHS pictogram is assigned to acutely toxic substances in Categories 1 through 3.
Question 4: A chemist's published paper is found to contain an unintentional error in a key calculation. The appropriate ethical response is to:
- Hope no one notices and take no action
- Issue a formal correction (erratum) through the journal (Correct answer)
- Retract the entire paper regardless of the error's significance
- Blame a co-author publicly
Correct answer: Issue a formal correction (erratum) through the journal
Issuing a correction through the journal is the standard ethical procedure for unintentional errors that do not invalidate the paper's core conclusions.
Question 5: Under the ACS Code of Professional Conduct, a chemist's primary obligation when safety and economic interests conflict is to:
- Balance safety and profit equally
- Defer to their employer's economic judgment
- Prioritize safety and public health above financial considerations (Correct answer)
- Seek a legal opinion before acting
Correct answer: Prioritize safety and public health above financial considerations
The ACS Code explicitly states that public safety and health take precedence over economic or employer interests.
Question 6: What is the purpose of a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) in a chemical laboratory setting?
- Evaluate employee performance during chemical handling
- Systematically identify hazards associated with specific tasks before work begins (Correct answer)
- Calculate the cost of personal protective equipment
- Document post-incident chemical exposures
Correct answer: Systematically identify hazards associated with specific tasks before work begins
A JHA proactively identifies task-specific hazards and appropriate controls before work starts, preventing accidents.
Question 7: Dual-use research of concern (DURC) in chemistry refers to research that:
- Uses two different analytical techniques simultaneously
- Could be misused to threaten public health or national security (Correct answer)
- Is funded by both private and government sources
- Involves both organic and inorganic chemistry methods
Correct answer: Could be misused to threaten public health or national security
DURC policies address research that, while conducted for legitimate purposes, could be misapplied to cause significant harm.
ACS CP Professional Ethics & Safety Standards 3
A pharmaceutical chemist is asked to sign off on a batch that fails purity specifications but is told it will be used internally for further testing.
The chemist should: