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Karen Wetterhahn
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<p>Karen Elizabeth Wetterhahn (October 16, 1948 – June 8, 1997), also known as Karen Wetterhahn Jennette, was an American professor of <a href="/facts/Chemistry/SrNqkGVm">chemistry</a> at <a href="/facts/Dartmouth_College/JLk2nNaN">Dartmouth College</a>, New Hampshire, who specialized in toxic metal exposure. She died of <a href="/facts/Mercury_poisoning/xdSGkWLU">mercury poisoning</a> at the age of 48 due to accidental exposure to the extremely toxic organic <a href="/facts/Mercury_(element)/WlxfoHva">mercury</a> compound <a href="/facts/Dimethylmercury/ettgPTS7">dimethylmercury</a> (Hg(CH3)2). Protective gloves in use at the time of the incident provided insufficient protection, and exposure to only a few drops of the chemical absorbed through the gloves proved to be fatal after less than a year. </p>