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Asked by anon-181152 on 14 Jun 2018.
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Joanne Sharpe answered on 14 Jun 2018:
I don’t have any particularly dangerous experiments, but to get DNA out of flies you have to use something called phenol, which can be very toxic and we have to use it in a special contained area that removes the fumes!
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Jason Chu answered on 14 Jun 2018:
Some of the chemicals in the lab can be carcinogenic (increases the risk of cancer), or corrosive (can damage property or even your skin).
And for the 3D imaging, we use a radioactive tracer. However, this is only dangerous if we don’t use it with caution and care. Realistically, it’s only dangerous in very high doses.
So as long as we’re safe and careful in the lab, we’ll be fine. -
Laura Hemming answered on 14 Jun 2018:
For me, the most dangerous part of my PhD is going into prison which can be a risky environment. However, my supervisors and I have worked very hard to make sure that we put lots of measures in place to make sure that my safety is not at risk. For instance, I am not allowed to move around the prison at times when prisoners are also moving around the prison as this could be risky. So I make sure to plan my movements at times when prisoners are likely to be in their cells or at work.
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Claire Donald answered on 15 Jun 2018:
I work with some pretty nasty viruses that are spread by mosquitoes. Some of my experiments involve working with infected mosquitoes so if they were to bite me, I could become very ill. We have to wear protective clothing and work in a special room to allow us do these experiments safely.
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Ashley Akbari answered on 15 Jun 2018:
Cautionary wise we deal with large data on the population, always in an secure and privacy context but we need to make sure we use peoples data appropriately and never allow their identity to be released as part of our research.
Dangerous wise not due to my job, but we live near the chemistry department and have had the police and bomb squad once due to an explosion risk which was a bit of an interesting Thursday afternoon staying away from the windows!
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Joey Shepherd answered on 15 Jun 2018:
I work with lots of nasty bacteria, some of which have been grown from patients in our local hospital, so if you’re not careful with those you could get very ill indeed! We all wear lab coats and gloves in the lab, and sometimes we freeze things in liquid nitrogen too which involves adding big thick gloves and a full face mask to our coats and gloves!
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Lauren Burns answered on 26 Jun 2018:
I don’t think any part of my project is dangerous, but it is very cautionary. Everything we do needs ethical approval, and dealing with patient’s data is incredibly sensitive. The other aspect is interviewing vulnerable adults – making sure they are able to provide informed consent. It is very tricky – but I have just received the ethical go-ahead so I am really excited to start on this project!
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