Fluorite - 28-1-2024 at 03:41
Hello everyone
I hope this message finds you well. I recently had an unexpected encounter with law enforcement at my residence here in Dubai, and it has left my dad
extremely concerned about my amateur chemistry experiments. Here's what happened:
While my dad was at a café below our residence, the police arrived, causing him to panic, thinking someone had reported my balcony chemistry
activities. At the time, all I was doing was bubbling air into a copper chloride solution using an aquarium pump.
Thankfully, it turned out the police were responding to an unrelated incident – a fight between other residents. Despite the misunderstanding, my
dad is now urging me to pack all chemistry-related activities and my glassware.
I'm reaching out to seek advice on how to navigate this situation, especially considering the unique context of being in Dubai. I've tried explaining
my responsible approach, but my dad remains uneasy. Is there a way I can proactively approach the local police to inform them about my bedroom lab?
It's worth noting that all my materials are legally obtained from reputable sources like Amazon and eBay, consisting mainly of metal salts and simple
compounds.
Any insights or advice, especially considering the local context and the simplicity of my experiments, would be greatly appreciated. I'm eager to find
a solution that ensures both my hobby and my family's peace of mind.
Thank you in advance for your help.
charley1957 - 28-1-2024 at 05:41
A good first step would be to thoroughly familiarize yourself with all the laws that might pertain to your hobby, and especially local ordinances.
This way you have a leg to stand on, you’ll know exactly where you stand with regards to your hobby and the law. Then go from there. Having this
knowledge beforehand will give you an advantage in your arguments. Who knows, you may be in violation of some law or ordinance you are not aware of.
Make sure you are totally in the right before you do anything else.
Sir_Gawain - 28-1-2024 at 19:59
If you’re not doing anything illegal, and your lab doesn’t look like meth lab, you should be fine. Having a well organized and clean space with
proper chemical storage goes a long way towards police and your parents being okay with it. I don’t know how paranoid law enforcement is in Dubai
about home chemistry, but if you’re following the law and not endangering people around you, you should be fine.