Hello, my name is Elandi and I want to share with you what happened in science class today. We were using the chemical indicator to see the difference in PH levels of different pool water of different students. Everybody brought a test tube full of swimming pool water from their house. We used rubber stoppers to close up the tubes so the water doesn’t get out. We used our chemical indicators, dipping them into our water when someone knocked over their test tube because they didn’t put it in the test tube stand like everyone else. The tube fell on the floor and glass went everywhere. The person tried to pick up the glass with his hands when the teacher told him to use a broom. He cut his hand open and couldn’t finish his PH testing.
Another person got some of the chemicals in their eyes and it started hurting. They quickly went over to the eyewash station to wash out her eyes. She quickly recovered and went back to her lab. The teacher decided we would go over some WHMIS symbols so that we can all be more careful in the workspace. The two that stood out the most for me were, the symbol of an exploding object is used to indicate that the material is explosive and may combust if handled incorrectly. Only professionals should handle these materials in safe conditions, and they should always be handled with utmost caution. Because some of these materials are heat or light-sensitive, proper storage is essential and therefore can cause major injuries or death.
The second one was Corrosion (corrosive damage to metals, skin, and eyes) refers to a material’s ability to chemically react with other materials or skin, damaging them. The damage is severe, and chemicals normally react promptly when they come into touch with them. When handling these materials, extreme caution must be exercised, and proper PPE must be worn at all times. In addition to rusting, some have the potential to induce other negative health effects. The person who got the chemical in their eye did not see the Corrosion symbol and did not think it would hurt when she rubbed her eye when she had just come in contact with the chemical.
(This is a made-up story and did not happen in real life but it could potentially happen so please be careful in the workspace and watch out for the WHMIS symbols).
1) Scientific devices.
- Barometer
A barometer, often known as barometric pressure, is a scientific device used to measure atmospheric pressure. The layers of air that wrap around the Earth make up the
atmosphere. As gravity drags it to Earth, that air has a weight to it and presses against everything it comes into contact with. This pressure is measured using barometers.
A barometer is a device that monitors atmospheric pressure in atmospheres or bars. At 15 degrees Celsius, an atmosphere (atm) is a unit of measurement equal to the average air pressure at sea level (59 degrees Fahrenheit).
2. Friability tester
Friability testing determines the amount of mechanical stress that tablets can withstand during customer handling.
Friability testers are used in the pharmaceutical industry to verify the physical strength of uncoated tablets by comparing the weight of the sample before and after the process. The friability testers from Electrolab are compliant with USP, PH. Eur, and IP standards.
3. Chemical indicator
Any substance that gives a visible sign of the presence or absence of a threshold
concentration of a chemical species, such as an acid or an alkali in a solution, usually by a colour change. A chemical called methyl yellow, for example, gives an alkaline solution a yellow colour.
4. Burette
Burette, usually spelt buret, is a laboratory device used to measure the volume of a liquid or
a gas quantitative chemical analysis. A stopcock (turning plug, or spigot) is located at one end of a graded glass tube.
5. Retort
A retort is a type of flask that is primarily used for distillation and has a design that is unique to this purpose.
The retort is shaped like an enlarged teardrop with a nearly 90-degree bend in the middle. A liquid or chemical solution is heated to the point of condensation in the bulb part.
2) I am going to go over what to do/not to do in an emergency when someone is drowning
What to do:
- Get Help. Notify a lifeguard, if one is close.
- Move the Person. Take the person out of the water.
- Check for Breathing. Place your ear next to the person’s mouth and nose.
- If the Person is Not Breathing, Check Pulse for 10 seconds.
- If There Is No Pulse, Start CPR.
- Repeat if Person Is Still Not Breathing.
What not to do:
- Do not just jump in, The person drowning may pull you under the water with them.
- Do not start CPR right away.
3) 2 WHMIS symbols and their meaning
Exploding bomb: (Explosion or reactivity hazards)
The symbol of an exploding object is used to indicate that the material is explosive and may combust if handled incorrectly. Only professionals should handle these materials in safe conditions, and they should always be handled with utmost caution. Because some of these materials are heat or light-sensitive, proper storage is essential and therefore can cause major injuries or death.
Corrosion: (corrosive damage to metals, skin, and eyes) refers to a material’s ability to chemically react with other materials or skin, damaging them. The damage is severe, and chemicals normally react promptly when they come into touch with them. When handling these materials, extreme caution must be exercised, and proper PPE must be worn at all times. In addition to rusting, some have the potential to induce other negative health effects
Health Hazard: A cancer-causing agent (carcinogen) or substance with respiratory, reproductive or organ toxicity that causes damage over time (a chronic, or long-term, health hazard).
Flame Over Circle: Identifies oxidizers. Oxidizers are chemicals that facilitate burning or make fires burn hotter and longer.
4) An ethical dilemma one might find in science.
- Stem cell research because, while we all have stem cells in our bones, they are difficult to access and are not as dangerous as those found in a foetus. Medical advancements could be enormous if we conduct more research into stem cells. Essentially, stem cells are unassigned cells; a heart cell will only do heart things, while a lung cell will only do lung things. When a stem cell is placed adjacent to a heart cell, it becomes a fully functional heart cell, and when a stem cell is placed next to a lung cell, it becomes a lung cell. As a result, the instant usefulness is obvious, and additional research could lead to even greater medical improvements. The only problem is that stem cells are found in foetuses, which means that instead of having a burial or cremation ritual, someone must have an abortion, which is already a horrific act, and then give their foetus up for scientific research. Now, there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but failing to go through this procedure may result in the parents being unable to obtain closure, and once they’ve said yes, their child cannot be returned. Also, who has the authority to hand over the foetus to the scientists? It was clear that the child had no say in the matter. Would this lead to firms paying women to become pregnant and then abort in order to do the scientific study? The safest option is not to move forward, but that means foregoing the possibility of forfeiting life-saving medicine
- Or a more simple dilemma, someone taking credit for someone else’s work or discoveries.
- When someone invents or discovers something and they give people a worse version of their invention.
Thank you for reading my safety story I hope it was informational!!
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