Re: a picric acid story

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From:Renee Seiler <horalka@iopener.net>
To:CMCCOLLOUGH@dnr.state.md.us, histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
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Loved your story!  Refreshing to hear instead of all those awful "almost blow up the lab" ones-I don't go as far back as you(only 20 years) but I've had my share of "in the old days" of Histology sagas-Renee in CO ^^^^
----- Original Message -----

From: CMCCOLLOUGH@dnr.state.md.us
To: histonet@pathology.swmed.edu
Subject: a picric acid story
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 10:01:29 -0400

Fellow Histonetters: 
 
Way, way back in the history of my laboratory (so far back that I was still 
in elementary school - actually some time in the late 60's) a jar of dried 
picric acid was discovered.  This was pre-safety officer, and probably 
pre-any kind of disposal regulations.  So.....what to do?   
 
We are a small marine research lab on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, and 
at that time had 3 ponds on-site in which algae was grown.  The laboratory 
wastewater also discharged to one of these ponds.  One of the scientists 
carried the offending bottle outside and heaved it into the middle of a 
pond.  The hunters among the staff lined up and fired several (many) shotgun 
volleys at the bottle until it disappeared - it did not explode. 
 
A testament to something, but not necessarily good sense. 
 
Carol 
***************** 
Carol B. McCollough, HT(ASCP) 
Diagnostics & Histology Laboratory Manager 
Maryland Department of Natural Resources 
Fisheries Service 
Cooperative Oxford Laboratory 
904 S. Morris Street 
Oxford, MD 21654 
 
 





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