From: feed.supplier@somewhere.cbr   
      
   Hello   
   r/environmental_science: /r/environmental_science   
   , I wanted to ask you about safety in environmental science labs. If this is   
   the wrong subreddit, please let me know and I'll delete my post.   
      
   Specifically, I wanted to ask what precautions you would take when riffling   
   soil containing unknown polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, at a concentration   
   of around 24,000 ppm taken from a contaminated industrial site.   
      
   I ah, recently riffled (manually homogenized) several kilos of this soil for   
   experiments and learned the concentration after the fact. I also learned that   
   there is a high likelihood of benzene being present in some concentration,   
   again, after the fact.   
      
   I wasn't really offered much in way of protective gear and inhaled and   
   ingested some of the particulates kicked up by homogenizing. That, and I was   
   covered head to foot in the contaminated dust for a period of several hours.   
   Following the first batch I    
   did scrounge a respirator, lab coat, and goggles because my skin/eyes were   
   burning and itchy.   
      
   I had asked about the contents a few times and the answers were generally   
   pretty evasive, in hindsight.   
      
      
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