Whether you are taking laboratory courses in chemistry, biology, physiology/anatomy, or other science courses, the struggle is real. Not only do you have lab reports due for each class every single week all semester long, but you also need to know what you are doing during the experiments or procedures.

I have heard so many unpredictable stories about lab experiments that became a disaster. It can happen to anyone, but it is more likely to happen to someone that is not geared up correctly. That is why we are forced to wear lab coats and nitrile/latex gloves. Us science majors are told to not breathe in the hazardous and chemicals and to always read the lab manual beforehand to get a sense of how toxic the substances are. You need to know what you are dealing with before handling it. One of the stories I have heard from a professor is that in her organic chemistry lab one time a student did not wear the lab coat and of course on that day the student ended up spilling some chemicals all over his legs. The student was forced under the emergency shower in the laboratory. When it fell as if the chemicals were eating the student's legs like acid, the professor took extra precautions and had to bring the unfortunate person in a big closet to be washed down with a hose. I am sure that this student will never forget their lab coat ever again.

Something that I actually witnessed was someone picking up a steaming hot beaker with their right hand and the beaker burning right through their glove and deep into their skin. That person had brutal blisters and deep wounds on their hand and fingers for a couple of months. They had to be treated for second degree burns and could barely move their hand until it fully healed with treatment. Another time, someone did not have a good enough grip on an empty graduated cylinder and dropped it on the floor. It shattered everywhere which reminded us why we wear closed toe shoes. It literally sounded like a grenade exploded. Can you imagine what would have happened if a chemical like acetyl nitrate was in the graduated cylinder?

Now even though chemicals are extremely dangerous to the point where a minimal mistake can be lethal, doing dissections or working with DNA can be dangerous too. For example, when working in a cadaver lab you are dealing with deceased bodies that are soaked in a few chemicals that have health risks when breathing them in way too much. Chemicals like formaldehyde, methanol, glutaraldehyde, and a few other solvents are not meant to be inhaled for hours at a time. I have witnessed a student passing out during the dissection of a fetal pig. I think the formaldehyde had gotten to them.

Now one time there was this halfwit who did not know how to use a pipette correctly and ended up squirting some barium hydroxide on the floor of the lab room. He ran over to the other side of the room to get some paper towels and disinfectant spray. When he jogged back over he slipped right through it, fell, and almost cracked his head open. It actually looked just like a character in a cartoon slipping on a banana peel. I do not know what I was more worried about: whether his head was bleeding or if he would be able to do his part of the lab report due the following week. As a science major, there is never an appropriate time to get a concussion. Even with the right protection gear in labs, you still need a ton of common sense.