• Question: what day to day substances have you found to be harmful?

    Asked by spudlington1 to Andrew, Emma, Marianne on 14 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Andrew Maynard

      Andrew Maynard answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Hi spudlington1

      That’s a tough one – mainly because a lot of my work involves substances that aren’t ones you will come across every day yet, but might be one day.

      But to get back to day to day substances, we’re surrounded by stuff that can be really harmful – if it’s used in the wrong way. Just wandering round my house (I’m typing this from home), I have a can of petrol in the shed – nasty stuff!, there’s some bleach under the sink in the bathroom, I have a bottle of drain cleaner – that’s really nasty stuff, I have a bottle of paracetamol, which is really dangerous if you take too much of it, and some of might light bulbs have mercury in them – that’s not very nice if it gets inside you either.

      It seems I’m surrounded by harmful substances, so why am I still sitting here. Why AM I still sitting here! *panics*

      Probably because all these substances are only harmful if they are used in the wrong way, and if I come into contact with too much of them, or flush too much of them out into the environment.

    • Photo: anon

      anon answered on 14 Jun 2010:

      Awright Spud. Around the labs there’s loads of harmful stuff but that’s not what you asked. A guy in mygroup and also probably Andrew M is interested in how small particles of diesel from exhaust fumes can have bad consequences for your health (lung and heart disease).

      In Scotland the obvious answer is food (too much food) and alcoholic drink. We have an obesity epidemic that’s causing lots of health problems and also huge alcohol-related illness problems.

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