[Histonet] Overdoing Safety/bunsen burners

[Kathleen Roberts]

Most of the safety people here are a bit like that....paranoid, that is; 
but there was one woman a few years ago who actually did say to me, 
"you're grown up, you know what you're doing."  She was originally from 
Russia and apparently had chosen not to swallow the "protect people from 
themselves and everything" line.  I think she is still with us, just on 
a different campus. 

I always think it's funny when the safety people come around here, 
because we're part of the Pharmacology & Toxicology dept...who would 
know better than us what's dangerous and what isn't?  :o)

Kathleen

Philip Oshel wrote:

> Ah, I no longer feel so alone. I recall using bunsen burners in junior 
> high (that ought to date me -- "middle school" now), high school, as a 
> college freshman and so on. Never a problem, no burned-down schools, 
> no explosions, no kids on fire. (Mind, my brother did make nitrate 
> contact explosives with his chemistry set, so I never got to have 
> one.) Is common sense so dead that even experienced lab workers must 
> be protected from themselves?
> I've never understood the anti-bunsen paranoia. Someone should write a 
> history of the bunsen burner: a modest little device, but where would 
> chemistry, microbiology, and science in general be without it?
>
> Phil
>
>> In the good old days of Bunsen burners we used to fry the end of the
>> forceps; nothing survived that and if it did it was readily 
>> identifiable.
>> Alas the Bunsen burner has been consigned to the politically 
>> incorrect as
>> the 'Scientists' of today would incinerate themselves whilst the
>> 'Technicians' of yesterday didn't (well not often).
>>
>> The sad demise of mercury, lead, Bunsen burners, formalin, anything 
>> too hot,
>> too cold, too explosive, too poisonous, etc. Having your tea in the 
>> Lab next
>> to the specimens and processing TB specimens 'on the bench'.
>>
>> Would Histology have the techniques and stains it now has if harmful
>> chemicals had not been experimented with? Will anything new be 
>> discovered by
>> the HistoTech if all that we can use is 'safe' chemicals and 
>> procedures? I
>> don't see the kids fiddling with things like we use to, no 
>> explosions, no
>> fires and no injuries. Am I just an old reactionary waiting to be put 
>> out to
>> pasture and ruminate on what was?
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
>> [mailto:histonet-bounces <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu] On Behalf Of 
>> sheila adey
>> Sent: 17 November 2007 20:41
>> To: histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
>> Subject: [Histonet] (no subject)
>>
>>
>> Hi Netters,
>>
>> We are trying to minimize possible embedding contaminations. What are 
>> other
>> people doing to prevent contamination due to forceps etc.
>>
>> Thanks in advanceSheila Adey HT MLTPort Huron HospitalMichigan
>
>
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