• Question: Has anything ever gone very wrong in a lab for you while trying to create something new?

    Asked by anon-258506 to Joe, Hamish on 13 Jul 2020.
    • Photo: Hamish Cavaye

      Hamish Cavaye answered on 13 Jul 2020:

      Hi Isabel! Thanks for the question.
      It certainly has…. When I was working as a developer of new pyrotechnics and special effects I was designing a new product. Part of the process was to make two of the products and test them. I made the first one, no problems, but then when I went to make the second one it exploded in my hand. It took a few trips to hospital, a small operation, and a couple of months off work before I could go back but thankfully there was no permanent damage so I was quite lucky. Some of the processes at work were changed after that incident so I can safely say that you must always follow the safety guidance when you’re working with any chemicals, even if they seem dangerous or if you’ve “done it before”!! Thankfully nothing that bad has happened to me since 🙂

Comments

  • Photo: Kat

    Kat commented on :

    Definitely – I’ve had glassware that has broken spilling chemical and mixing them with other chemicals. I accidentally made some potassium metal as a by-product once and was cleaning down the oven with a solvent to break down the other chemicals and its set on fire -I singed my eyebrows and eyelashes off!