you down with ppe? yeah you know me.

for those of you that somehow missed the memo, or didn't read the author description, or don't know me (and in which case, why are you reading? well, whatever floats your boat...) I am a Chemical Engineer. I happen to have lots of research experience--four years and one summer of undergrad research in organic chemistry, two research internships and two years (okay, in a week and a half) at my present job, which is also research. This is in addition to my schooling.

and no, it isn't something that you can tell by looking at me, or even talking to me, necessarily, but it's the case--I know my stuff, or at least the gist. I'm no safety expert, but I have a good handle on the safety concerns for my current job. right? right.

so, here's the thing. you, dear readers, encompass a wonderful cornucopia of careers and fields. I know that artists, teachers, lawyers, accountants, musicians, sales people, doctors, scientists, hr people, pr people, parents, corporate trainers, writers and fellow engineers read this blog--and I'm willing to bet I've left out more than one occupation in that list.

I realize that while I may have a general understanding of your job/field, in most cases I certainly do not know enough to tell you how to do it. And even if I were to hazard a guess at a portion of it, it would likely be mere conjecture.

I get this. I hope you do, too.

so, here's my story. this afternoon, after a yummy lunch of half-price sushi and edamame, I restarted my co-precipitation. and then, due to all of the soda and water at lunch, I decided I'd go to the restroom. I've done my business and washed my hands, and I go to the water fountain to fill up my cute green water bottle (thanks, chris and ariel!).

and time out--before I go on, let's talk about the PPE. Personal Protective Equipment. Things like this:

In the lab, for this particular project, for my PPE I wear the following: jeans, close-toed shoes without heels (usually tennies), lab coat, nitrile gloves, prescription safety glasses. If my camera weren't in my car I'd have someone take a picture. But anyhoo.

So, I'm filling up my water bottle, and this woman, who came from the statistics side of the building, lets out this HUGE sigh. I turn to look at her, and she's going in the door to the bathroom. She says, "hey, could you do me a huge favor?" Of course, I reply "sure thing, what?" She responds in an annoyed tone "Could you not wear your lab coat into the bathroom--you're contaminating everything."

lady, I wouldn't even TRY to do statistics, please don't tell me how to do my job.

Now, I get that she's afraid or concerned or whatever. My labcoat is covered in rusty orange splotches from spills and projectile-solution, which is normal. In the lab you wear labcoats for particularly this reason--so the spills aren't on your clothes and there's an additional barrier between your person and the solution/chemical. however....

since I didn't know who the lady was (hell, she could be one of our eleventy hundred VPs), I said, very eloquently, "umm...okay?" and then decided I could at least educate y'all.

in any well-regulated lab, which any corporate environment will have, the people wearing the PPE are relatively well aware of what they're being exposed to. and if they're comfy wearing their PPE outside the lab, it's probably because you, co-worker, have not a thing to worry about. not a thing!

grr.

it isn't like when I walk into the bathroom somehow all the little particles of chemicals begin to leap and cascade off of my labcoat and onto every single surface. and, it's not like by removing said labcoat I'm suddenly devoid of chemical traces--I guarantee that if I'm wearing the PPE I mentioned above, if my lab coat is "contaminated" then I'm damn certain that I'm going to have to take off more than it to be clean. My hair, my skin, my safety glasses, my pants, my shoes, the exposed part of my shirt--you name it, it's likely harboring that extra-scary stuff. yikes.

and, way to go assuming that because I'm wearing a labcoat it automatically means that I'm working with something terrible. sometimes? they're just splash guards.

so: please, dear readers, should this info be new to you, please take it to heart. there is not a guarantee that a dirty labcoat or a pair of gloves worn outside of the lab means that you're gonna, you know, be exposed, and certainly not in an airborne kind of way. have just the teensiest bit of faith in your co-workers, and understand that it's possible that they know what they're doing better than you do because they do it every damn day.

I mean, unless you're the boss or more seasoned of a comparable position, in which case fine, voice it. But really? yeesh. and, um, sorry for the ranting.