Laboratory clothing, types

Figure 1. Types of laboratory clothing. (Top left) simple cap, (top right) bouffant cap, (bottom) hooded cap.

Figure 1. Types of laboratory clothing. (Left to right, top to bottom) Fully buttoned laboratory coat, wraparound smock, solid front gown, one-piece laboratory suit, two-piece laboratory suit, heavy duty coverall, simple cap, bouffant cap, and...

Low-level radioactive waste gives off small amounts of ionizing radiation, is usually generated in small quantities, and need only be safely stored for relatively short periods of time due to the half-lives of the radioisotopes involved. Low-level nuclear waste includes such things as contaminated laboratory clothing, cleaning equipment and supplies, medical waste that is radioactive, and discarded radioactive devices such as smoke detectors. It is only necessary to safely store this waste for periods of 100-500 years. Prior to about 1979, most waste of this type was sealed in steel drums and dumped into the ocean. Current procedures require that such waste be stored in steel drums and buried in secure sites under several feet of soil (Figure 13.14). 

Certain types of laboratory clothing and protective equipment are safer, more practical, and more comfortable than others. Comfort, however, must not be the overriding factor in the final selection of an item required for protection. Once proper protective clothing and equipment are selected, it is the task of the supervisor to provide training in their use and to assure that employees properly use and maintain them. 

In selecting cloths made from synthetic materials, one must account for the fact that staple cloths provide a good retentivity of solid particles due to the short hairs on their surface. However, cake removal is often difficult from these cloths - more than from cloths of polyfilament and, especially, monofilament fibers. The type of fiber weave and pore size determine the degree of retentivity and permeability. The objective of the process, and the properties of particles, suspension and cake should be accounted for. The cloth selected in this maimer should be confirmed or corrected by laboratory tests. Such tests can be performed on a single filter. These tests, however, provide no information on progressive pore plugging and cloth wear. However, they do provide indications of expected filtrate pureness, capacity and final cake wetness. 

Recent work in this laboratory has resulted in the development of LDH s and PGM s on the same plate. Through this technique, information can be obtained concerning the menstrual origin of the blood and also, possibly, information regarding the PGM type of the contributor. This can be also very meaningful when the menstrual blood is mixed with semen and the resultant mixture deposited on the suspect s clothing. In a recent case, such a mixture was tested. The woman was a PGM-I and the perpetrator a PGM 2-1. The PGM study of the stain revealed not only the "a" and "c" bands of the PGM-I type but also the "b" and "d" bands from a PGM-2 or PGM 2-1 semen source. 

At the conclusion of the laboratory period or an experiment, and when leaving the laboratory area for any reason, monitor hands, feet, head, body, and clothing with a hand-held radiation counter before exiting, as specified by your instructor. Your laboratory instructor will demonstrate the proper technique and show you the proper instruments for the type of radiation you that you will use. 

Type C laboratories can be fitted out in normal chemical laboratories. The floors, walls and benches should be free of grooves, and the ventilation should be good. It is recommended that all operations with radionuclides be carried out in tubs and that suitable containers be provided for solid and liquid waste. Because of the risk of incorporation, all mouth operations (e.g. pipetting with the mouth) are strongly forbidden. For wiping of pipettes and other equipment, paper tissue is used. Monitors must be available at the working place, to detect radioactive substances on the equipment and to check hands and working clothes for radioactivity. 

A class I, type B biological safety hood should be used when working with BP in a laboratory. The following work practices are recommended (1) Contaminated clothing should be removed immediately and laundered by individuals who have been informed of the hazards of exposure to BP. (2) Eye wash fountains... 

The U-cell and H-cell are most commonly used in the laboratory (Figure 2). The electrolytes are separated by a diaphragm consisting of porous materials (fritted glass, alumina, nylon cloth, porous plastic, etc.) or ion-exchange membranes (anionic, cationic, Nation, etc.). This type of cell is particularly useful in electrocrystallization experiments under galvanostatic conditions. 

The types of samples that are submitted to the forensic science laboratory for examination for the presence of explosives can include samples collected from the scene of the incident, from suspects, and from any sites where explosives are suspected to have been manufactured or processed. These samples can include debris collected from the site of the incident, remains of a detonating device, and clothing and hand swabs from suspects. (Other samples may also be collected, such as raw material that could have been used in the manufacture of explosives or explosive devices.)... 

For typical laboratory spills, many of these items will not be needed, but aU of them could have a use, depending upon the type of spiU. For example, an acid spill could quickly destroy a person s shoes during the clean up, and drops of acid on a person s clothes would ruin them. Since those doing this clean up work are likely to be laboratory persormel, not only should they be protected against injury, but they also should not be expected to incur any economic loss. 

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