Lab Hazard

摘要

No one told Karen Quigley her PhD project could make her ill. But during a clean-up of the rat room at Ohio State University in Columbus, Quigley had an asthma attack. She had developed an allergy to her rodent subjects - a health issue that persisted throughout her graduate studies and later postdoctoral work at Columbia University, New York. Quigley felt embarrassed wearing her "Darth Vader" get-up, a face mask with respirator, to handle the animals. "You need to do your work, so you just soldier on," says Quigley, who now sticks to humans at the US Department of Veterans Affairs New Jersey Healthcare System in East Orange. She enjoys her work, but would have liked to continue with animal models. Her allergy made that impossible.rnScientists are familiar with the clear dangers of laboratory work, such as concentrated acids and bases, sharp needles and radiation. But other health concerns are more subtle. Allergies and chemical sensitivities are a perennial threat to scientists who spend most of their time in the lab. Epidemiological data are scarce, so long-term hazards maybe unknown. Even with known risks, those in a rush to collect data may skip safety measures. Generally they don't pay for their carelessness, but occasionally, lab health hazards can delay research, force a career move or cause serious injury or death (see 'Worst-case scenarios').