Accidents in Laboratories

As is the case with so many scientific discoveries through out the ages, many things we take for granted today - from gunpowder and Kevlar to superglue and sticky notes - were actually the result of laboratory goofs. In fact, the ancient Chinese scientists who first came across the explosive effect of gunpowder were seeing a elixir of immorality.

Unfortunately, accidents in labs do not always result in amazing new products. While we may not think of scientific research as the most dangerous line of work, the chemicals and microscopic agents employed in research experiments can be deadly in the smallest amounts, and a tiny slip of negligence can have devastating results.

Even veteran researchers and technicians are not immune to lab incidents. Consider the case of the Polish chemist with thirty years of experience who was killed by an explosion in his university laboratory last year, or the woman who went into anaphylactic shock during an experiment involving chemical enzyme synthesis.

What is truly startling about these cases is the number of ways in which they can happen, despite the best efforts of institutions to ensure safety procedures. From a primate researcher contracting herpes B through eye exposure, to a Dartmouth chemist suffering a slow death from a single dose of mercury-compound poisoning, the potential for lab accidents is almost endless.

Contact Us

If you or someone you love has been injured in a lab-related injury and you suspect that negligence on another party’s part may have been in some way responsible, contact the experienced Chicago personal injury attorneys at the law offices of Friedman & Bonebrake, P.C. today for more information on your case