Sciencemadness Discussion Board

What do you do to prevent yourself from chemicals?

yiberkit - 17-7-2014 at 09:22

In the lab. or process/plant area, what do you do to get your body be safe from the harms effects of chemicals. You know it's very dangerous and unhealthy work . If you breath chemicals in long time then you would be probably sick in the future.

The prospectus and cautions are gives useful information and knowledge for us to be safe ourselves against harmful chemicals but is this enough?
Maybe in the future some other molecules will be determined as risky and harmful...

Brain&Force - 17-7-2014 at 09:43

It all depends on the chemicals at hand. If it's something solid that's not toxic and not readily absorbed through tissue, the simplest precautions will suffice (goggles). Inhalable chemicals will require a gas mask, fume hood, or outdoor operation. Fine dusts require a respirator. Really dangerous stuff needs to be handled in a glove box.

Magpie - 17-7-2014 at 09:49

1. Good fume hood when noxious vapors will be released.
2. Nitrile gloves (disposable or heavy duty depending on the situation). Not to be used around nitric acid, I understand.
3. Dust mask when transferring dangerous powders like NaOH and KOH.
4. Plastic apron when pouring sulfuric acid. This will save your shirt from the little moth holes at your waistline. ;)
5. Eye goggles when pouring acids, handling NaOH, and other nasties.
6. Old cotton long-sleeved shirt. I would wear a lab coat but not a white one. Do I want my neighbor seeing me in a white lab coat? No - no- no - no.
7. Pull down the fume hood double-pane safety glass when doing a vacuum distillation (implosion risk) or if there is a possibility of an explosion or violent runaway.

[Edited on 17-7-2014 by Magpie]

blogfast25 - 17-7-2014 at 10:01

Quote: Originally posted by Magpie  
Do I want my neighbor seeing me in a white lab coat? No - no- no - no.
[Edited on 17-7-2014 by Magpie]


Huh?

Magpie - 17-7-2014 at 10:08

Do I really need to explain this? Or are you just stirring the pot?:D

yiberkit - 17-7-2014 at 10:13

The precautions are prevent you on somehow. But is that enough? I think its only prevent us %50 - 70 .
What about spending many years in the lab. or plant? Chemical inhalation is a major problem when it comes to long time and it would be caused to cancer...

blogfast25 - 17-7-2014 at 11:59

Quote: Originally posted by Magpie  
Do I really need to explain this?


I'm not known for my mind reading qualities. You don't want your neighbours to know you do chemistry? Why?

TheAlchemistPirate - 17-7-2014 at 14:09

Lets just say that chemistry has many entrepreneurs some of which make strange substances *cough* *cough* drugs *cough* *cough*.

Magpie - 17-7-2014 at 14:20

Quote: Originally posted by blogfast25  

You don't want your neighbours to know you do chemistry? Why?


That's right. My policy is to keep a low profile:

1. If you get crosswise with them, a simple anonymous phone call may get you a knock on the door. In the US who knows where that might lead.

2. Neighbors can spread rumors, or make you the butt of what they think are harmless jokes - you know: "are ya makin' meth? yuk yuk," or "are ya makin' a bomb? yuk, yuk."

This all depends on the quality/education of your neighbors, and your relationship with them. Mine are good right now and have been for some time. But who knows their true prejudices. And neighbors periodically move and then you get new ones to deal with.

Texium - 17-7-2014 at 19:25

Yeah, I have some neighbors I trust and some that I don't. The ones that I do trust, I try to be fairly open with though, because I feel like if it seems like I'm trying to hide something it would just be more suspicious than if I'm open about chemistry, because it needs to start being seen as a normal hobby one of these days.

As for the neighbors I don't trust or never talk to, I wouldn't go door to door telling them that I am an amateur chemist as if I'm a sex offender, and I try to conceal my hobby from them.

Even though neighbors can hurt you by calling the cops, they could instead help back you up if they know and like you in the event that the cops show up from some other cause, instead of being like Huh, I always knew there was something up with that guy...

Brain&Force - 17-7-2014 at 19:38

Living on a base makes matters terrible. I'm just holding out for university.

confused - 17-7-2014 at 20:14

living in an apartment in a country with many restrictions on chemical reagents isn't making me very productive (they require lisences for sulfuric acid and sodium hydroxide here :( )

but on topic, a labcoat, gloves, goggles and covered shoes should be enough for most common chemical reagents

Ascaridole - 17-7-2014 at 20:22

On topic but not, a proper fitting lab coat. A lab coat with long baggy sleeves is not good PPE and should not be used. Get one that fits and won't knock things over or soak up reagents from your bench.

BobD1001 - 17-7-2014 at 21:36

Quote: Originally posted by yiberkit  
In the lab. or process/plant area, what do you do to get your body be safe from the harms effects of chemicals. You know it's very dangerous and unhealthy work . If you breath chemicals in long time then you would be probably sick in the future


Everything in our incredible world, including your own body is composed entirely either of 'chemicals' or elements. Saying "chemicals are dangerous" is a completely ignorant statement. Yes, certain chemicals are harmful, but that is no need to fear all chemicals. Simply use the proper safety procedures if you will be working with one of the dangerous ones.

If I'm handling 50lb bags of salt, or NaCl, for a water softener, I just cut the bag open and pour it with my shorts and a t-shirt on. However, if I'm handling concentrated Nitric Acid, I will put on a lab jacket, an acid resistant lab apron, and use long cuff neoprene gloves and a full face shield. Overcautious? Probably.

Zyklon-A - 17-7-2014 at 21:47

Another thing I hate is the media using terms like "chemical weapons". I very highly doubt the chemists (evil as they are) who create the toxic gasses employed that name.
Why must we only call a dangerous substance a chemical?

blogfast25 - 18-7-2014 at 04:15

@Magpie, zts16 and B&F:

Land of the free?

Sue them for defamation, I say. You're not breaking the Law. Hiding makes the idiots win.

[Edited on 18-7-2014 by blogfast25]

Texium - 18-7-2014 at 05:25

Well, technically I am because of the Texas anti-glassware law, but it doesn't seem like they enforce that except as a way to throw additional charges at cooks who were already caught breaking other laws. I'm not really all that concerned about it, but I think getting the permit would only be more trouble than it's worth, just drawing extra government attention to me.

Loptr - 18-7-2014 at 06:45

Quote: Originally posted by blogfast25  
Quote: Originally posted by Magpie  
Do I really need to explain this?


I'm not known for my mind reading qualities. You don't want your neighbours to know you do chemistry? Why?


Sometimes it is just best to keep your business to your self.

Loptr - 18-7-2014 at 06:47

Quote: Originally posted by blogfast25  
@Magpie, zts16 and B&F:

Land of the free?

Sue them for defamation, I say. You're not breaking the Law. Hiding makes the idiots win.

[Edited on 18-7-2014 by blogfast25]


As for laws, majority of the time, you could probably be cited for violation of zoning and storage laws. If the authorities do not like what you are doing, majority of the time they have a few tricks up their sleeve they can pull out at a seconds notice. It is the sad reality of the matter.

Not to mention the trouble of having to sue them for defamation. Just not worth it.

[Edited on 18-7-2014 by Loptr]

blogfast25 - 18-7-2014 at 08:03

Quote: Originally posted by Loptr  
Sometimes it is just best to keep your business to your self.


No one should be made to live in a glass house. But if your neighbours know you have laboratory glass ware or are into hobby chemistry and spread rumours that you are 'kooking' (or worse) then that should not go unchallenged. Idiots must not be allowed to win.

In a neighbourly dispute one freak claimed I was a 'bad driver'. Well, that's his opinion. But when later he added I was drink driving I threatened to sue for slander. He soon backed off. Claiming someone is breaking the Law when manifestly they aren't is not a joking matter to me.

Loptr - 18-7-2014 at 09:18

Quote: Originally posted by blogfast25  
Quote: Originally posted by Loptr  
Sometimes it is just best to keep your business to your self.


No one should be made to live in a glass house. But if your neighbours know you have laboratory glass ware or are into hobby chemistry and spread rumours that you are 'kooking' (or worse) then that should not go unchallenged. Idiots must not be allowed to win.

In a neighbourly dispute one freak claimed I was a 'bad driver'. Well, that's his opinion. But when later he added I was drink driving I threatened to sue for slander. He soon backed off. Claiming someone is breaking the Law when manifestly they aren't is not a joking matter to me.


As for slander, I agree with you, and someone making errant claims is not something I would take lightly, either. It's just that I would not let it get to that point in the first place. What's my business, simply, is my business, and not something I would openly share with the world. That's not to say I would explicitly "hide" it. It's more of a matter of using wisdom, and knowing that things can quickly spiral up and out of control.

I am not trying to become a martyr for the cause, so as for me, I will be taking the non-confrontational approach.

But more power to you, keep fighting the good fight and keep the freaks at bay. :)

[Edited on 18-7-2014 by Loptr]

bufophil - 18-7-2014 at 11:49

Quite frankly, I don't think this question has any validity. Everybody who uses chemicals knows the potential risks and deals with those potentialities in a knowledgeable way. After all, that's the name of the game ....know what you are doing.

Hennig Brand - 18-7-2014 at 18:36

I think it is a good question for someone concerned about their health, especially if exposure is going to be on a constant basis. Everyone knows something about what they are doing, but there are some that are more knowledgeable than others. It was asked in a very general way though and how to protect yourself varies depending on what chemical is being worked with. Find out what chemicals you will be working with and look up the MSDS for each one, especially if you are unfamiliar with a chemical. A good MSDS will tell you a lot about how to protect yourself. The Sigma Aldrich site has good MSDSs on most chemicals.

I am not one to talk about safety, I routinely pour concentrated acids with shorts and a t-shirt on and no safety glasses. I have lately started to put a lot more effort into wearing safety glasses however. I can deal with a scar on my arm or leg, but no eyesight would be awful. I have been putting more effort into breathing protection lately too, as I found breathing in things like picric acid dust was making me feel a bit ill. The effects have always been fairly short lived, but in the long term it is best to limit exposure to some of these things.

Yeah, I also avoid wearing a white coat out around the yard when I am doing hobby chemistry. The dark blue or black ones that machinists and welders, etc, wear would probably be fine though.

AJKOER - 19-7-2014 at 04:27

Vitamin C is an excellent free radical scavenger. In other words, reduces risk of free radical damage to your body which may lead to DNA damage, cancer and even accelerated aging.

Best advice, avoid or limit exposue to problematic compound, including bad air, bad water, bad food (fried, greasy, sugar - the super food of cancer cells, to name a few).

What one also ideally needs is a stress free and happy life, to help the body's immune system.

Good hobbies help like safe chemistry.