Anna Baetjer facts for kids

Anna Medora Baetjer (July 7, 1899 – February 21, 1984) was an American scientist. She was a physiologist, who studies how living things work. She was also a toxicologist, who studies poisons and their effects. Anna Baetjer was famous for her research on how working in factories affected women's health. She also discovered that a metal called chromium could cause cancer.

Early Life and Studies

Anna Baetjer was born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 7, 1899. She went to Wellesley College and earned a degree in English and zoology in 1920. After that, she studied at Johns Hopkins University. In 1924, she received her Doctor of Science (Sc.D.) degree. This was from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.

In 1924, Anna Baetjer started teaching at the School of Hygiene and Public Health. She became an instructor in the Department of Physiological Hygiene. Later, in 1927, she became a research associate there.

Her first research looked at how high places and different temperatures affected the body. She found that hot and humid weather made it harder for the body to get rid of harmful substances. This was important because many children in Baltimore got lead poisoning during the summer.

Helping During World War II

During World War II, Anna Baetjer helped the Surgeon General of the United States Army. She worked at the Industrial Hygiene Laboratory. Her job was to study how working in factories affected women's health. She also looked at how different things affected women's work performance.

Because of her research, Baetjer suggested many changes.

• She said machines should be made safer for women to use.
• She recommended women work no more than six days a week.
• She also suggested adjusting work schedules for women with family duties.
• She taught women safe ways to lift heavy things.

In 1944, the War Department used her ideas to create new rules. These rules were about pregnant workers. They limited the work pregnant women could do. They also protected their jobs and how long they had worked there.

In 1946, Anna Baetjer wrote a book called Women in Industry: Their Health and Efficiency. This book shared all her research findings.

Discovering Cancer Risks

In the 1940s, Anna Baetjer started looking into cancer cases. She studied a chromium plant and a waste area in Baltimore. After many studies, she found a clear link. She proved that being around chromium could cause cancer. She then worked with the World Health Organization (WHO). They created rules for how industries should use chromium safely.

Later Career and Awards

After the war, Anna Baetjer kept working at the School of Hygiene and Public Health. She became an assistant professor in 1945. She became a full professor in 1962. In 1972, she became a professor emerita, meaning she retired but kept her title. In 1954, she was chosen to be the president of the American Industrial Hygiene Association.

From 1966 to 1970, Baetjer was part of a committee. This committee studied chemicals from pesticides for the Food and Drug Administration. In 1974, she showed that being around inorganic arsenic could also increase cancer risk. This was true for workers in pesticide factories.

Anna Baetjer also advised many important groups. These included the National Research Council and the Environmental Protection Agency. She received two important awards for her work. She got the Kehoe Award in 1974 and the Stokinger Award in 1980.

In 1985, Johns Hopkins University created a special position in her honor. It is called the Anna M. Baetjer Chair in Environmental Health Sciences.