Permeation and penetration at first glace seem similar in
many ways but it is until you understand the definition that you see that these
two seemingly similar words are very different. Penetration is when something
uses pressure to pierce clothing or find seems or weak point and are able to
get by whatever is in the way. Permeation on the other hand relies on no
pressure to get by but rather passes through the object by osmosis. Permeation
often uses a chemical way of getting by objects. Penetration seems to be much
more noticeable because of the pressure that is usually associated with it.
Permeability is deadly sometimes in lab setting because there is no warning
that it is happening. In other words you cant feel anything happening to you
because the substance can be leaching into your body without you even knowing.
This is much like what happened to the professor at Dartmouth who dies because
of mercury poisoning without even knowing that anything happened to her. She
disposed her gloves and did everything by the book much like how you would
expect a Dartmouth professor to do however he didn’t realize the small drops of
mercury that eventually caused her death. Permeation resistant gloves are out
there and are noticeably thicker than regular lab gloves. Because of the
thickness it prevents the speed of permeability of a particular material
passing through and reaching the skin. Not only is glove type a factor of
permeability but also time that that glove is exposed to the chemical. The
longer it is exposed the more material will make it through to the other side.
When carrying out an experiment make sure that you have the right tools because
it could kill you or cause serious injury. Consulting an expert in the lab is
an important step that cannot be overlooked.
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