I love teaching for several reasons. I love to learn and through teaching I’m constantly learning. I love that no day is the same, there is a lot of variation. And I love seeing the pride in a student’s face when they finally understand a concept after working through it. But this week tried me!
This week we were learning about enzymes and completing a lab that involved catechol and catechol oxidase. Catechol is a substrate in potatoes that will bind to the enzyme catechol oxidase and produce benzoquinone, a brown product that protects the potato when bitten or cut. The potato turns brown and a barrier is created to protect the potato from infection or further herbivory.
The thing is that catechol is a poison. It is highly toxic, but needs to be ingested to cause organ failure or death. It is a mild irritant that can cause dermatitis on the skin (a red, itchy patch). We wear gloves and eye protection for this entire lab both days to protect the students. In the semesters I have taught this lab, I’ve never had a student be exposed or have a reaction to catechol. Is this because everyone listens, reads, and follows directions? LOL, no.
Students, even adults, do not all listen at the same time. They all miss important bits, they all skip around when reading. Absolute maniacs. So of course someone doesn’t listen when I say we are wearing gloves and eye protection for this entire lab as we are working with a poison that is highly toxic. Thirty minutes into the lab, I overhear students debating whether a reaction of one of their hands is from exposure. A student has removed their gloves. I asked when, they don’t know. I asked when they last handled the chemicals still on their lab table, they don’t know. I have them flush the area and when I check back it isn’t any less red.
The student isn’t worried, but I am. I have never seen a student have a reaction despite their insistence to not listen, and this particular student is not yet 18. I ask them to go to the clinic on campus just to be safe. I’m not a medical professional. I don’t know if they have some gene variant that makes them more sensitive to catechol. Maybe something about their skin allows for quicker absorption. I’m not worried that they are going to have organ failure, but I am a little worried that because flushing didn’t clear it at least some redness that it could form a chemical burn. They say they are fine. I insist that they go.
I checked on the student later and they were fine. Whew! We start lab day 2 and have a “come to Jesus” safety review. I let them know exactly when they can remove their gloves and instruct them to follow the protocols exactly as they are written in the lab manual. Somehow TWO groups decide after boiling a tube, to cover it with parafilm and shake it, neither of which is stated in the lab manual. So of course, catechol spews out of the tubes. In one group it’s all over a student’s hand (outside of her glove) and the other group it just gets on a lab manual. We handle it, I somehow stay calm, just laughing to myself in disbelief and looking for the camera because this cannot be real life. Are they trying to kill me?
At this point, I am submitting my third incident report and I see another student with their head in the sink. Apparently, they felt a drop hit their forehead, outside of their googles, while another group was disposing of the tube waste and is just being careful. Fourth incident report, here we come. I haven’t even met the chemistry professor that receives these reports and I can just imagine what he is going to think, but again better safe than sorry! I’m just thankful day 1 happened so when they all lost their minds on day 2, they would be wearing their safety gear! #blessed
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