Every morning, one of my duties is to change the liquid nitrogen (we use it to condense evaporated solvent). Since my mentor is away for meeting for the morning, the lab was all to myself ... Muahahaha .... lol .... so I did the usual stuff and when I got to liquid nitrogen part... as I tried to rapidcool the condenser, I was careless enough to let it go in too fast... needless to say, liquid nitorgen spilled out and landed on my hand....
Despite the protection form the gloves, actually I don't think the gloves offerred much insulation, I immediately sufferred a frost bite. There was no one in the lab to help me out. So I had to do according to the safety procedure... I removed my gloves and disposed them quickly, soaked my hands in running water... gosh, at this point the frost bite was overcome by a burning sensation (literally I felt my hands were being burnt)... unfortunately the running water didn't help. My skin that was in contact with that potent liquid began to turn purple... even in the oven (for drying apparatus), the pain didn't stop ....
You know what. I can go on and on about this.... The fact is liquid nitrogen did hit me, but I just shook my hands a few times and it evaporated... as for the cold... it was more like ice water on your hands .... The whole story just now is just to illustrate how dangerous liquid nitrogen is (from what I heard) and how CRAPPY it is... living proof here...lol... in small amount like a spill it is no big deal. Of course don't go and immerse your hands in it!!!!
Moral of the story: Don't believe everything people say about the danger of liquid nitrogen.... and I am really bored (my mentor is still in the meeting), just trying to do something stupid ... =)
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
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