From: Martin Striz (metastriz@yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Jan 26 2005 - 14:11:40 MST
--- Brian Atkins <brian@posthuman.com> wrote:
> I was thinking that at first when I wrote my post above, but then I
> remembered all sorts of shows I've seen on PBS, etc. where you have
> scientists roaming about in caves and other places looking for new forms
> of life. And then they invariably seem to bring their samples back for
> examination to some dinky looking lab which looks nothing like what I
> imagine a high safety lab would look like. So there is some disconnect
> here, or I'm missing something.
Unless something mysterious is killing the animals, nobody is concerned about
pond scum or cave dirt. Except for the occasional SARS virus, researchers are
well aware of the risks that they face with the organisms that they're
handling, and they are required in research protocols to declare what kind of
info/training they will provide for the members of their lab. Even old labs
undergo yearly safety inspections, and fume hoods and instruments must be
updated to certain standards. That's in America, Europe, and some Asian
countries, anyway.
But even then, things happen. I knew a guy with a nervous tick. He had
handled polyacrylamide for years without anyone telling him that it is
neurotoxic.
striz
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