PPE

I have a longstanding fascination with required PPE (personal protective equipment). To me, each new piece of PPE that I use is a sort of milestone on my quest for a biology career. I used safety glasses in high school, and my first year of college introduced me to nitrile gloves, which I still enjoy wearing when I get the chance. When I got properly started in a research lab, a lab coat became my uniform, which was a real dream come true. I wore a helmet while climbing trees in the Yukon, which was a bit of a departure from the dangers of a lab, but it was nice to add some headgear to my list.

Today, I got my first respirator as part of my pest control job. It's easier to put on and adjust than I expected, though I expect wearing it for long periods of time would get old, especially because with a passive respirator like this one, your lungs have to do the extra work of pulling air through the filters. In any case, I'm very happy to have a new piece of PPE to use. The next step on my path is uncertain, but I suppose a hazmat suit is probably the most likely.