Practice Chemistry Safely

Chemistry can be both fun and exciting to learn about. Everything around us is made up of chemicals. Some of them are simple but many are very complex, especially the ones that make up living organisms. Learning about the chemicals that make up the world and the organisms that live in it is a challenge because of the fact that the atoms and molecules that are being studied cannot be seen directly, only indirectly.

Practicing chemistry, however, is something that has to be done both safely and responsibly. Even though chemicals are all around us, many, in their concentrated forms can be very dangerous to handle. For this reason, chemicals must be handled only by someone who has received proper training and understands what safety equipment must be used so that any potential for exposure can be minimized or eliminated. Several routes of exposure are possible, but there are two main routes that many focus on in terms of prevention, inhalation and direct contact.

Inhalation is one of the most common routes of potential exposure for chemists, biochemists and biologists working with concentrated forms of chemicals. Many gases and liquids are very volatile. This means that they readily flash or evaporate from a liquid phase into a gas phase. In many cases when this happens, your nose is able to detect the presence of the gas or vapor by smell alone. However, your nose can only detect the presence of a chemical in the air if it is present in a concentration that is above the odor threshold for that chemical. If it is below the odor threshold, then you will not be able to smell it and you will be exposed to it. Just because you cannot smell a chemical does not mean that it is not present.

For this reason, many chemists, biochemists and biologists wear a respirator that minimizes the potential for exposure when working with chemicals. Of course, not all types of respirators offer protection from all classes of chemicals. A respirator that is designed to protect for a certain class of chemical must be worn when handling that class of chemical.

Direct contact is another route of potential exposure that is present when handling chemicals. Direct exposure through contact must be considered because of the fact that many classes of chemicals have the ability to absorb through your skin and enter into your body. For this reason, personal protective equipment must be worn that minimizes any risks associated with manually handling chemicals due to the possibility that they may splash or spill.

Of the most common types of direct-contact protective equipment are chemical resistant gloves, safety goggles or glasses and a chemical resistant lab coat. Chemical resistant gloves have the ability to resist permeation meaning that they slow the inherent ability that chemicals have to pass through them. This will help prevent chemicals from coming in contact with your skin. Always wear chemical resistant gloves that have been specifically designed for use with chemicals. Safety goggles or glasses have the ability to help prevent chemicals that spill or splash from splashing into your eyes. Always wear safety goggles or glasses that have been specifically designed for use with chemicals. A chemical and fire resistant lab coat will help protect both your skin and your clothes from being contaminated with chemicals should they splash or spill. Always wear a lab coat that has been specifically designed for use with chemicals.

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