What was the most dangerous experiment ever conducted?
Answers
Answer:
I would argue that some of the most dangerous experiments weren't intended to be dangerous; poor planning or just terrible accidents played a major role in many dangerous experiments.
Dimethylmercury
Karen Wetterhahn was a professor at Dartmouth when she died of mercury poisoning in 1997. Professor Wetterhahn was a chemist who studied the effects of toxic metals in living organisms. She was using dimethylmercury, which she knew to be a neurotoxin, as a standard for one of her tests. A few drops spilled onto her gloved hand. She thought she would be okay since she had safety equipment on and cleaned up shortly after.
As it turns out, dimethylmercury can permeate through latex gloves in as little as 15 seconds and a volume as small as 0.1 mL is enough to cause mercury poisoning. She passed away 10 months after the accident after developing symptoms of mercury poisoning and slipping into a coma.
Criticality Accident
A criticality accident occurs when critical mass is achieved and an uncontrolled nuclear reaction takes place. Even in the days of early nuclear research, these accidents were not common. Unfortunately, Cecil Kelley was a victim to a criticality accident.
Among his duties at Los Alamos National Labs, Kelley was the operator of a large chemical tank that contained plutonium ready to be recovered for reuse. On the day of the accident, the level of plutonium in the stainless steel tank was more than 200 times than Kelley or anyone else knew due to improper transfers to the tank. The plutonium was near critical mass, and when Kelley began mixing, the materials segregated by density. A nuclear chain reaction began, and although it only lasted 200 microseconds, it was enough to emit dangerous radiation in the immediate area.
Other technicians nearby reported a flash of bright blue light and a thud as Kelley fell off of his step ladder. He was disoriented, stood up, turned the mixer off and on again, and then ran out of the room. He was found outside laying in the snow; the only words he could say was "I'm burning up! I'm burning up!" He had been exposed to over seven times the lethal dose of radiation. Sadly, Kelley died only 35 hours after his accident.
Hydrofluoric Acid
My boss is a chemist, and he is wary of HF. He says that any substance that a chemist fears is definitely a serious matter. HF can permeate skin and begins to react with calcium in the blood and in bones. If you spill it on yourself, you may have no symptoms of pain until much later when it begins to react inside the body. Unfortunately, HF is a very important chemical for semiconductor processing and geology, and so its use is hard to avoid in those fields.
An Austrailian technician was working with HF when the container spilled onto his lap. The liquid splashed onto his thighs, which were not covered with proper personal protective equipment. He attempted to run water over himself to wash the spill but did not apply calcium gluconate, which would have undoubtedly helped. He called emergency services and sat in a swimming pool in shock until they arrived. Even though only 9% of his body had been exposed to HF, it was enough that doctors had to amputate his leg to attempt to save him. It was still not enough; he died only two weeks after the accident.
As someone who does experimental work, hearing some of the stories are warning messages. Always know what you are working with and the possible dangers you could face. The above are only three examples of fatal lab accidents but there are many more cautionary tales out there. While doing scientific research is noble work, it is not worth your life. Take the necessary precautions!
Answer:
Erathosthenes measuring the world is the most dangerous experiment ever conducted
Explanation:
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