Toxic conundrums

"Fatal if swallowed or inhaled" read the data sheet.  

Ordinarily, I wouldn't consider potential for death during my daily biological investigations.  I'd pull on fresh purple latex-style gloves and slip on my well-used lab coat, oblivious to the general fatality associated with many of the chemicals I use and reliant on the knowledge that thorough safety assessments have been done.  Such is the frequency of use, that hydrochloric acid, ethidium bromide and SDS are used without hesitation.  

Our bodies just work, often without concious thought or comprehension.  But take the components out and place them in a test-tube, it is a very different story.  Unable to recreate the complex conditions and cascades of molecules that enable each organism to exist, molecular biologists often strive to synthetically create environments suitable for processes that Mother Nature solved long ago.  In doing so, our laboratory cupboards are full of chemicals and reagents swathed in orange toxic warning labels.


Accompanied by twinkling stars and a luminescent moon, I had researched late into the night.  A break was needed, so after checking on my snoozing child I crept downstairs to quench my desire for caffeine.  Coffee cup in hand, I scrolled down to the latest news. 

Bored of reading fear-fuelled and frequently inaccurate reporting (My BIG Beef with Cloned Cattle) I was hoping for some distinctly awe-inspiring science headline.  I was disappointed.  Can we stop the Indian Superbug? read the article.  I sighed and returned to a stack of journals.  

Activating my protein would not be a simple task, as suggested by previous published academic work.  For weeks I had tried...and failed, to separate individual components.  4-aminophenylmercuric acetate (APMA), I am reliably informed, is the way forward.  Even it's name sounds nasty!

"Fatal if swallowed or inhaled" read the data sheet.  

Ok. I'm not planning on cocktails at mine with APMA martinis and who needs to breathe?  Deciding I'm all about safety, I consider designing a bubblewrap protective suit.  With common sense prevailing, I write a list of safety items for this mercury-containing compound.  A respirator tops the list.

Crawling under the duvet, I prepare myself for Jack's wake-up call.  Nothing like bleary-eyed breakfast preparation for a child, involving a long-winded debate on the merits of coco-pops compared with fibre-packed weetabix.  But for now, time to dream.





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