Re: Hazardous substances

[Dana S Emery <emery@onyx.si.edu>]

It is common for hazardous substances to be necessary in the work we will
be discussing here.  It should be remembered that the precautions
appropriate to such substances are not necessarily second nature to some of
the readers of this list, the present signon proceedure cannot screen
against the enthusiasm of youth or other forms of lunacy and inexperience.

It would probably be a good idea if we took some degree of caution here,
hazardous materials and proceedures should be mentioned as such when
discussed.  Mind you I am not advocating the excesses of anti-litigiousness
typified by stickers on tack hammers, but something more than we have done
to date seems prudent, especially since an archive of our postings is being
kept.  Should any FAQ or bibliography come to exist it should contain
references to texts which discuss such precautions in detail.

This is one area where I would hope the moderator would exert the editorial
discretion that is his adding [ed: ... ventilation or hood recomended ..]
disclaimers where we fail to.

--
Dana S. Emery
Smithsonian Institution
Laboratory of Molecular Systematics
MRC-534, MSC A2000
Washington DC 20560

(301) 238-3444     (voice)
(301) 238-3059     (fax)
emery@onyx.si.edu  (internet)