1. Seminar II Ethics Of Working With Toxic Chemicals In Your Research
13/03/2017

2. Moral dilemma
Perovskites are a hot topic right now in materials chemistry
Unfortunately it contains lead and is potentially dangerous to work with
Competent waste disposal is an issue and is current a concern for the environment
Your supervisor insists you work on perovskites despite the inadequate equipment available in the lab, and competent safety measures.

3. Supervisor
Personal
Issues
Colleagues
Scientific community
environment
You refuse to work with these chemicals in these conditions
Possibilities: Look for another researcher
The supervisor changes your project
Risk: If the supervisor can not find someone to work on the project, the funding will be lost
Possibilities:
You will retain your physical health
Risk:
May lose your job
No publications in this hot topic
Possibilities: They get your project that you refused
They may be forced to take over the potentially dangerous work you refused
No scientific progress
Potentially lose chances for collaboration
No harm to the environment unless other people work on it

4. Supervisor
Personal
Issues
Colleagues
Scientific community
environment
You comply and proceed to work with adequate equipment and safe conditions
Possibility: Your supervisor is content that your work output is affected
Risk: In case something happens to you, the supervisor may bare the future consequences
Possibility: You get potentially high impact publications
Risk: You risk harming your personal health
You risk getting lawsuits from your colleagues
Possibility: they may benefit from your work efforts and collaboration, which could lead to more future funding
Risk: They may potentially be harmed by your work in terms of personal safety
Possibility: The community gain more scientific progress from your work
More breakthroughs in the field for cheaper solar cell materials
Risk: The government may potentially ban work with these materials
The environemnt will be negatively affected

5. Supervisor
Personal
Issues
Colleagues
Scientific community
environment
Talk to your supervisor
Possibility: He may take your concerns seriously
He may ignore your concerns
Risk: The supervisor needs to consider replacing you with another worker for the project
The supervisor may face even more complaints from colleagues
Possibility: He may buy proper and safer equipment, which was needed in the first place
Risk: He may not take any action
Possibility: They can also get benefits from your discussions with the supervisor
Risk: The supervisor may push the undesirable projects onto them
He may stop work on the project, which halts further scientific progress
His improved lab equipment, disposal methods, etc can benefit the environment

6. Supervisor
Personal
Issues
Colleagues
Scientific community
environment
Complain to the authorities
Possibility:
The research group suffers in reputation from bad press
Risk: Your lab will be forced to take safety actions
The supervisor will be compelled to spend funding or even need to other sources of funding
Possibility: If they force safety reforms in the lab, you will benefit in personal health
Risk: You may lose your job when they close down your lab
Possibility: They will also benefit from the safety reforms in terms of personal health
Risk: They may also lose their jobs when they close down the lab
Possibility: The community will lose out gaining scientific progress if they shut the lab down
Risk: The university suffers in reputation from bad press
The environment benefits

7. Conclusions: best solutions
1st: Talking to your supervisor
Best compromise between getting chances and not attracting bad press
2nd: Talking to the authorities
Most like to ensure safety changes but most likely to attract bad press, damaging group and university reputation