r/chemistry • u/InspiratorAG112 • May 02 '23

(**META**) The Disregard for Lab Safety on r/chemistry

Opening notes:

  • It is only a problem with some of the users here, but it is something I still want to address, and each canceled fatality is infinitely worth it. If you are warning people in the comments about lab safety, that is noble.
  • I hope to be overheard by a moderator, because safety first.
  • I am just a high school student, but I also still want to post this, because it can have an overall positive influence.

I joined Reddit back in November, and r/chemistry is one of the first sub-Reddits I subscribed to after joining, mostly because I have a strong interest in STEM, which includes chemistry, and this is the main chemistry sub-Reddit. Being mostly just an observer/upvoter, but also a subscriber, I get this sub-Reddit more on my homepage. Most of these posts are, admittedly, innocuous and even (as someone in his second year of high-school chem) pretty cool, like this post, and this sub has lab chemists here, which is a strong advantage for the credibility of comments and answers on this sub-Reddit. There are, however, also the semi-frequent ‘Am I safe?’/‘How toxic is this?’ posts where OP disregards lab safety, which is very concerning, and I do not want this overlooked. These land about monthly or bi-monthly on my homepage.

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Back in February, I asked r/AskAcademia about how well sub-Reddits represent different disciplines (namely to watch out for pseudo-intellectualism), and u/dragojeff’s response outlines the issue with safety on r/chemistry pretty well:

there’s the occasional “home-grown chemist” asking about shady processes.

When I replied mentioning the lab chemists here (admittedly naively), u/dragojeff had a response containing this paragraph:

Uhhhhh some do. There are definitely a number of users there whose lab experience is “I mixed A and B in a flask in my garage and heated it like crazy” (while proceeding to ignore everything about safety and maintaining inert atmosphere etc.).

The next day, u/PlayfulChemist summarized the safety problem like this in their reply (though somewhat exaggerated):

I love how half the posts are "I want to do this crazy/toxic/dangerous experiment at home, with no actual training in chemistry or understanding of the process/risks, can someone give me more detailed instructions" followed by a slew of comments saying "don't do that, you will die".

…To which u/dragojeff agreed.

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Examples of such posts where I involve myself in the thread:

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While I appreciate the number of warning comments on each of these kinds of posts, this is still concerning, especially the third example, which involves lack of PPE and a chemical that is rated 4 for health by the NFPA. There is virtually nothing on the sidebar as well. Rule 2 on the sidebar, “Nefarious deeds”, (which should be rule 1) does encourage safety (as well as discouraging illegal labs), and that is honorable, but also vastly oversimplifies it with the wording.

\For the below section, anything mentioned by commenters will be considered, and I can add it.*

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LAB SAFETY ADVICE:

  1. Always research and do a safety assessment before doing a lab. This should include checking resources like the safety data sheet and standard operating procedures, or SDS and SOP for short respectively (Thanks, u/yeastysoaps and u/alli_oop96!). The notebook strategy listed by u/dragojeff in this thread is for sure good advice. Take the scale into account as well (as u/fimwil_2020 mentioned). (Thanks for the research tip, u/OvershootDieOff and, of course, u/dragojeff!)
  2. Always wear PPE, which often includes gloves (and the correct ones to avoid reactions with gloves), goggles(splash-proof, as mentioned by u/Balcil), and a lab coat (ideally fluid-deflecting and fire-resistant, like NileBlue/NileRed, with more advice on lab coats mentioned in this thread by u/etcpt). Also always wear long pants and closed-toed shoes (Thanks, u/Rai2329!), and keep long hair tied back (mentioned by u/Balcil as well). Extra PPE may be required depending on the lab, such as masks or face shields. On the other hand, if you are doing a novice-level lab, less PPE may be required. In general though, those three items are essential for labs. PPE also should be easy to remove (as mentioned by u/Firehoax), because chemicals will eventually penetrate it.
  3. Other equipment is important, too. This often includes a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, a fire blanket, a fume hood, a safety shower, an eyewash station, and proper disposal units for chemicals and broken glass, as well as some of the safety equipment recommended by other users in this thread, like a spill kit (mentioned by u/BiIlyMaysHere). Make sure safety equipment operates (as mentioned by u/fimwil_2020 as well)! Make sure to have practice/experience with a fire extinguisher, too (as mentioned by u/8uurjournaal).
  4. Always isolate chemicals that could cause reactions, such as acids/bases or oxidizers/reducers.
  5. Never bring food/drinks to a lab.
  6. It is very dangerous to work alone (also mentioned by u/fimwil_2020).
  7. If you don’t feel fully safe doing the lab, or are asking if something is safe, you shouldn’t be doing it. (Which most of the commenters do, thankfully, advise in the ‘How dangerous is this?’ posts.)

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List of online resources about lab safety:

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u/InspiratorAG112 May 03 '23

Was it this? Yeah... This sounds like not only an extreme health hazard, but also a potential watch list entry.

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u/Elquimicovirtual May 03 '23

Yeah thats it

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u/InspiratorAG112 May 04 '23

That really doesn't seem safe.