Antarctic Fungi Blog: Roast of Lab Equipment 4

Well it's that time again. The time when we all gather to pay tribute to the hard working equipment that makes our work possible.

Today, we would like to honor the greatest team since Root Beer and Vanilla Ice Cream. Today, we would like to thank the Biosafety Cabinet and the Fume Hood.

We will begin by talking about the more frequently used Biosafety Cabinet.

The Biosafety Cabinet is our primary sterile area in the lab. Any time that we are working with a fungi sample directly, we do it in the Biosafety Cabinet. Before and after every use we wash it really well with... well what is basiclly the equivelent of super powerful wet naps.

As if someone said, "This is good, but can we weaponize it?"

On top of that, the hood contains a high power ultra-violet light that, when turned on, pretty much cooks any organism still alive.

The Biosafety Cabinet also contains a fan and is designed so that while the hood is open, no outside air can enter. This keeps not only the surfaces around our samples clean, but the air as well. As a result, contamination is significantly lower than if we worked out in the open.

The Biosafety Cabinet in a nutshell.

Next we would like to thank the Fume Hood.

The Fume Hood is like a reverse Biosafety Cabinet. The Fume Hood does not work to keep contaminants out, but instead works to keep chemicals in. The design of the Fume Hood is pretty similar to the Biosafety Cabinet, but the Fume Hood has a fan that sucks outside air in, and prevents the air inside from escaping uncontroled. This is important because if we are working with hazardous chemicals, we want them as contained as possible.

Like a trap for poison!

For example, one chemical that we work with on occasion is called Beta-Mercaptoethanol, or as I like to call it Deathanol, or just Poison. The "Material Saftey Data Sheet" (MSDS sheet) says, among other things, "Combustable liquid and vapor," and, "Inhalation of high concentrations may cause central nervous system effects characterized by nausea, headache, dizziness, unconsciousness and coma...Exposure to high concentrations of mercaptans can produce unconsciousness with cyanosis (bluish discoloration of skin due to deficient oxygenation of the blood), cold extremities and rapid pulse."

Pictured: Cyanosis

As you can see, it's pretty nasty stuff that you don't want to be breathing. The Fume Hood allows us to do that.

Biosafety Cabinet and Fume Hood, for your hard work in the name of science we are proud to present you with The Golden Mushroom Award and Haikus written in your honor.