PURPOSE

The purpose of this activity is to introduce you to safety information and practices that will allow you to work safely in the lab during science class.  This is an internet research activity where you will be visiting several websites to learn about safety procedures in lab,  how to access information on chemicals, the different ways that chemicals can enter the human body, and some common harmful effects of chemicals on the human body.  

The above image may capture how you feel at the thought of having to do                                                                                                            internet research in science class on SAFETY PRACTICES IN THE LAB.

It may not sound fun, and you may want to do other more exciting things (and you will in lab),                                                                                                                                                   but the purpose of this task is to train you on how to keep yourself well-informed and safe.  

This is a very important lesson.  

It will help you avoid situations like the ones below....

           HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS BENCH                 HOOD EXPLOSION                  BIOHAZARD RESPONSE

It may also help you prevent accidents to your body that can lead to this....

(ACID BURN)

or even this.....

(BASE BURN)

It will be YOUR responsibility to keep yourself, and those around you safe.  

Note that what you do in lab not only affects you.  It also affects your lab partner(s), your other classmates, your teacher, the nurse, the cafeteria lady, and anyone else who might be in the same building as you during lab time.  

Please read on...

Safety is a very important topic in science.  There are more opportunities for harm to occur in a science class than in a non-science class because of the nature of the work done in science classes.  You will be doing lab experiments that require you to be familiar with proper use and handling of chemicals.  It is very important that students receive training on proper safety protocols before even entering the lab.  There will be three main ideas: how to prevent accidents through being informed, what to do in an the event of an accident, and what kinds of harmful effects chemicals can cause on the body.  This WebQuest activity is meant to introduce you to this topic, so it will not cover every single type of harmful chemical effect that can occur. 

In addition to learning proper lab safety procedures, you will also learn about common potential harmful effects on the human body.  You will see that harm may be local, such as a chemical burn to the hand.  You will also learn that chemicals can enter the body, and travel to a different part of the body, and affect a part of the body that was not close to the entrance point into the body.  The image below shows different systems of the body.  Note that the various systems are interconnected within the body.

Click on the TASK button on the left navigation panel (scroll back up to view it)