• Question: Whats the most dangerous chemical you've worked with?

    Asked by Megan to Emma, Monica, Sebastian, Sinead, Thomas on 14 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Emma Roycroft

      Emma Roycroft answered on 14 Nov 2016:

      Hidi formamide – it can cause cancer! But we are very careful and wear personal protective clothing like gloves and white coats to prevent us coming into contact with the many hazardous chemicals we use every day.

    • Photo: Thomas McLoughlin

      Thomas McLoughlin answered on 14 Nov 2016:

      most chemical are potentially hazardous even the ones we use in the home for cleaning . So be cumarach and always wear gloves and protective glasses!

    • Photo: Sebastian Gornik

      Sebastian Gornik answered on 15 Nov 2016:

      Loads of them, but the most dangerous would have been a chemical called:

      Osmium tetroxide OsO4

      I used it as a stain for electron microscopy

      OsO4 is highly poisonous, even at low exposure levels, and must be handled with appropriate precautions. In particular, inhalation at concentrations well below those at which a smell can be perceived can lead to pulmonary edema and subsequent death. Noticeable symptoms can take hours to appear after exposure.

      OsO4 also stains the human cornea, which can lead to blindness if proper safety precautions are not observed. The permissible exposure limit for osmium(VIII) oxide (8 hour time-weighted average) is 200 µg/m3.[7] Osmium(VIII) oxide can penetrate plastics and therefore is stored in glass under refrigeration.[14]

    • Photo: Sinead Loughran

      Sinead Loughran answered on 16 Nov 2016:

      Theobromine (in CHOCOLATE) because I can’t get enough of it 🙂

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