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Want to enhance lab safety? Try a little role playing first

Simulated lab accidents train students how to respond to real emergencies.
By
  1. Myriam Vidal Valero

    1. Myriam Vidal Valero is a freelance journalist from Mexico.

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In August 2016, Margaret Braasch-Turi began her graduate studies in the department of chemistry at Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins. During orientation week, when she was getting familiarized with the laboratory-safety protocols, she couldn’t tell right away that something was wrong as she entered one of the labs, even though a very strong smell of almonds lingered in the air. Then she saw the pool of bodies lying on the floor at the end of the room. A few seconds later, she too was dead.

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Nature 642, 527-529 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-01775-9

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 25 June 2025: An earlier version of this feature gave the wrong location for Florida State University.

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