• Question: Have you ever done any dangerous experiments in your career?

    Asked by CMSPACE to Christie, Dan, David, Dawn, Sian on 15 Jun 2016.
    • Photo: Christie Waddington

      Christie Waddington answered on 15 Jun 2016:

      I’ve worked with some radiation which is pretty dangerous! We use radioactively-labelled elements (32-P, 35-S) in these particular experiments because we can see the radioactive signal on a screen, similar to an X-ray, which is harder than using other methods. I always have to work behind thick Perspex, wear two pairs of gloves, visor, and constantly check the radiation levels to make sure I’m not too exposed!

    • Photo: Dawn Lau

      Dawn Lau answered on 15 Jun 2016:

      I’ve worked with some pretty toxic chemicals before. I was processing some cells for electron microscopy, which allows you to magnify samples by up to 20,000x. The process of fixing the cells includes the use of uranyl acetate which is both toxic and radioactive. We also use lead citrate, which is used to provide contrast to the images, and that is extremely toxic. You just have to take all the necessary precautions – work carefully, wear gloves, wear lab goggles, and always work underneath a fume hood.

    • Photo: Sian Thomas

      Sian Thomas answered on 15 Jun 2016:

      Again radionuclides. And I have the scars from a chemical burn which I got when a glass vial of fumaric acid shattered as I was trying to open it. Used this to acidify samples before High Performance Liquid Chromatography analysis.

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