Greenday Gets Toasty!

[Greenday]

So last week in my RNA lab, we were mutating some DNA so it would shine a pretty green under UV light. First we had to count how many cell colonies were produced, then, with UV light, count how many colors fluoresced green. To count colonies, you take a sharpie marker and just dot where each colony is on the other side of the glass to keep track of which ones you've counted (there were a couple thousand) With the green colonies, you place it on this instrument that shines UV light and then count it. I had to wear a faceshield to protect my head and brain. Then I have gloves on and my labcoat to protect the rest of me.

I was hanging out with my friend from my history class and she saw my forearm near my wrist was red. I looked closer at it and realized it looked similar to sunburn. Since it's the middle of the winter and I don't spend much time in the sun as a result, I had no idea how it happened then I remembered my lab today. The part where my glove and sleeve met must have separated and I must have given my arm a nice dose of pure UV light.

Took a picture with my phone, but it's kinda crappy quality.

[AdminAssistant]

OUCH. Definitely keep a close eye on it, along with some..burn cream? Silvadine? Not sure how you would treat that kind of burn.

[Greenday]

OUCH. Definitely keep a close eye on it, along with some..burn cream? Silvadine? Not sure how you would treat that kind of burn.

Well, UV light is what creates sun burn from spending too much time in the Sun. So my guess would be aloe (which I don't have) or some other lotion for sun burn. I'm hoping it's enough. I emailed my teacher a little bit ago letting him know what happened and asked him if there's something else I should be doing. I figure I'll look for him tomorrow after my history class and before I have biochem lab where I'll be playing more with bovine heart.

It wouldn't bother me so much if we hadn't spend the last week and a half talking about how UV light is one of the most powerful mutagens for DNA meaning it causes cancer.

[AnaKhouri]

Husband did much the same thing in his lab once. He now has a square patch on his arm that is wall-to-wall freckles. Keep an eye on it.

[Fire_on_High]

I've got a nice freckled area on my upper arm like that but from a car ride in shorter sleeves than I usually wear. It's going to feel a bit odd healing, after the tender stage...almost numb on top of the skin and itchy deeper down, but you can't get to the itch.

It's maddening!

[Jester]

Being a broadcasting major, I never got to play with such fun stuff. (Although I have to admit, editing sound and video was pretty freakin' cool.) The closest I got to anything dangerous in a science class was when there was a bomb scare during my Chem 101 lecture. Not just in the building....in the room I had my class in. THAT was an interesting twist in my school day!

So my guess would be aloe (which I don't have) or some other lotion for sun burn.

I am no expert on UV light. I am, however, rather familiar with sun burns and their treatment, considering I live on a tropical island. I myself almost never burn, but I see friends and tourists dealing with it all the time. And I am telling you that aloe is the absolute best treatment for it. So you might want to head to a drug store, see what they have in sunburn treatment lotions (different from sunscreen), and get that on their pronto. I know where you live they may not have a huge supply of those this time of year, but I am sure a decently sized drug store will have something.

[Greenday]

I am no expert on UV light. I am, however, rather familiar with sun burns and their treatment, considering I live on a tropical island. I myself almost never burn, but I see friends and tourists dealing with it all the time. And I am telling you that aloe is the absolute best treatment for it. So you might want to head to a drug store, see what they have in sunburn treatment lotions (different from sunscreen), and get that on their pronto. I know where you live they may not have a huge supply of those this time of year, but I am sure a decently sized drug store will have something.

Living by the beach and having made a few trips to the Caribbean, this isn't the first time I've gotten UV poisoning. Unfortunately I'm currently in Pennsylvania where they have no idea what the beach is other than some tourist town called Ocean City. I'm going to Giant for food tomorrow before the snow starts so I'll get something while I'm out. With some luck, aloe will be cheap at this time of the year.

[Jester]

I thought Giant was a grocery store. If so, they are far less likely to have anything for burns than your average decent-sized drug store, like Rite Aid, CVS, or Walgreen's.

Just saying.

[Greenday]

I thought Giant was a grocery store. If so, they are far less likely to have anything for burns than your average decent-sized drug store, like Rite Aid, CVS, or Walgreen's.

Just saying.

Giant is a grocery store. My friend needs to get a few things and since she doesn't have a car, I'm taking her there. I also need to get a six pack of beer while I'm out.

Edit: Finally got myself to a pharmacy. Aloe feels so good...

[Jester]

So I was right. A pharmacy was the place to go.

And....I was right. Aloe works for this kind of thing.

No payment needed, thank you. Just the occasional prostration and bowing in my general direction (for you, that's south) will suffice.

[Dave1982]

Could be worse......

The lab my mother works at also has UV lights they use for various things, and not once - but TWICE - she forgot to switch off the UV light (which is invisible) then took off her safety glasses.........

Both times this resulted in the UV light burning her corneas. I can only imagine how much that hurt, but they had to give her Vicodin (or something similar) when that happened, and she actually took it, and she hates taking narcotics.....

And it would seem she's paying the price for that mistake now, because she's starting to develop cataracts (though so far they're so small that they aren't affecting her vision).

Oh, and is it bad that when I saw the thread title "Greenday gets toasty!" the first thing I thought of was that Greenday.....well....had a green day?