• Question: why are chemicils dangerous

    Asked by jellytots54 to Enda, Jean, Kate, Kev, Tim on 17 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Tim Downing

      Tim Downing answered on 17 Nov 2012:

      Hi jellytots54,

      Chemicals are not dangerous – we are all made of chemicals. It’s sometimes used as a terms for certain things liquids that can be dangerous, so maybe that’s what you mean.

      Since everything is made of chemicals, if we mix them together a reaction might happen. Mostly nothing occurs – for example when we breathe air in and out of our lungs. But sometimes a reaction does occur: this means the structure of the two things reacting changes. This is where certain chemicals can become dangerous. When reactions occur, energy must be released. This can occur as heat, or sound (a bang!), or an increase in volume – eg foam expanding out of a tube. So if the reaction produces too much heat or make the chemicals in our bodies not work properly, then they are dangerous for us.

      Maybe post in the hydrogen zone, they know more about chemistry than we do 🙂
      Tim

    • Photo: Jean Bourke

      Jean Bourke answered on 17 Nov 2012:

      Tim is right we are chemical! Everything is technically a chemical.

      Even some of the chemicals in your body are dangerous: your stomach is concentrated hydrochloric acid! If you spilled it on your hand, it would hurt! You stomach is lined with goblet cells that make mucus to protect your stomach from the acid. The acid in your stomach helps break down you food and can also kill bugs and stuff that might accidentally get in.

      Chemicals that are not supposed to be in your body can really damage it when they get in there. Acids burn you, bases melt your skin, gases choke you, powders can give you rashes…etc

      We have not evolved to deal with there things, we have no protection again chemicals:they confuse our bodies. Metals like mercury and arsenic are not good for us because our bodies don’t know what to do with them, how to get them out. Your body gets confused and treats mercury as calcium! Bones made of mercury are not very strong!

      Other chemical can damage our DNA, our DNA is what contains all the information necessary to make a person. It’s pretty important! DNA damage can result in cancer or other problems.

      Other chemicals can choke us by getting in the way of us absorbing oxygen (e.g. carbon monoxide like in all the adverts reminding us to get our boilers checked).

      When we work in the lab we have to be really careful: we wear labcoats to protect our bodies; goggles to protect our eyes; gloves to protect our hands. We have something called a fumehood. This is a basically a large cupboard with a glass front (a sash). The fumehood has a strong extractor fan (just like over a cooker) and this sucks air in all the time so any gases or odours are sucked away and you don’t breath them in. The sash can be pulled all the way down in case of accidents so you don’t get splashed.

      If you go get chemical on you we have an emergency shower as well as an eyewash station. Remember: skin grows back, eyes don’t!

Comments