Gloves

Wearing gloves is a necessity at my job. I'm a researcher. I study breast cancer.

BUT

and its a big but

But, I wear gloves to protect my cells from me not the other way around. You see, cancer usually exists within the body which has an immune system.  That immune system allows the cancer to exist without threat from the outside world. Okay confused?

 Let me go a step further.

Normally, your body keeps cancer in check. A few cells grow out of control and your body takes care of it. Now if you do develop a cancer it is still in your body. Your body, your immune system, will protect the cancer from the outside. Germs and viruses you come in contact with will not be able kill the cancer cells because your whole person, including the cancer, is protected by your immune system.

Now in culture for research, cancer grows in plates.  The cancer cells are just that. Cancer cells. There is no body and no immune system THUS the cells are vulnerable. Anything and everything can kill them.  Cell culture is thus conducted in a sterile environment. I conduct experiments in a sterile hood to prevent outside air from reaching my cells and contaminating them.

Now…to do my job I often wear gloves. I probably wear over a dozen pairs in the course of a busy day. One of the biggest pains in my side as a researcher is the idea that gloves are inherently dirty. There are all these signs about how you need to remove your gloves before you leave the lab or touch a door knob but honestly all that stuff gets on MY NERVES!

Nerves have been gotten on...

I know exactly where my gloves have been.

Do you honestly believe I'd be eating the cracker that I have in my gloved hand if my glove was contaminated?
Or how about running my gloved hand though my hair?  You think it might have something hazardous on it that I want in my gorgeous locks?
Well then!

I just wish they'd let us regulate when to remove our gloves.  Walking from the lab to my desk to check my email, take a sip of water, and eat a piece of candy are NOT reasons to discard the gloves I was wearing and put on a new pair just because I touched a communal door.  At some point I'm going to touch that same door with my bare hand and thus I wouldn't contaminate it with my gloved one knowing that both myself and others have to use this door.

I'm a scientist.  Have a little faith that I know whether or not the glove I'm wearing is safe or not and that I'd remove it if it wasn't.  They don't let me just anyone get a PhD.

The work hubs taking that 2 liter to the head wearing…gloves.