• Question: What is the least common toxic chemical you have had to deal with?

    Asked by LH JM to Anais, katy, Lauren, Richard, Stuart on 11 Mar 2016. This question was also asked by Lucie1212.
    • Photo: Stuart Atkinson

      Stuart Atkinson answered on 11 Mar 2016:

      We have sometimes handled the highly toxic material dimethyl mercury. We more often have to handle hydrofluoric acid, bromine, phosphorus oxychloride – all nasty chemicals.

    • Photo: Lauren Laing

      Lauren Laing answered on 11 Mar 2016:

      Most of the chemicals I deal with are quite common, especially in the environment, albeit often at low concentrations! I think perhaps scientists which test new compounds will test rarer toxic chemicals!

    • Photo: Anais Kahve

      Anais Kahve answered on 13 Mar 2016:

      Probably sodium palmitate. It’s a saturated long chain fatty acid in its sodium salt form. It is toxic to beta cells after 48 hour exposure at a 0.25 mM concentration.

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