…but somebody’s got to do it (we guess).
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS DIVER. Who does the Environmental Protection Agency call when they find leaky barrels of toxic waste at the bottom of a lake? Who does the municipal dump call when the pumping system under the garbage sludge needs to be repaired? They call in a HAZMAT diver—a scuba diver with specialized training…and an extra-thick wetsuit.
HOT-ZONE SUPERINTENDENT. When there’s an outbreak of a lethal, airborne disease with no known cure, scientists travel to the site of the epidemic to isolate and study the pathogen inside a mobile laboratory. And then they need somebody to keep the equipment running, ensure that doors and windows are airtight, change pathogen-loaded air filters, and keep the lab clean. The “hot-zone superintendent,” who spends a large percentage of his or her time getting into and out of protective clothing, is actually exposed to more deadly pathogens than the scientists studying them are.
BIOLOGY SUPPLY PREPARER. Remember those frogs you dissected in junior high? Somebody had the job of killing and preserving them. At companies like Ward’s Natural Science in New York, workers process insects, pigeons, and frogs that are later sent to biology classes. The company buys them from breeders, euthanizes them, and preserves them in embalming fluid before they’re packed into 55-gallon drums of formaldehyde.
FERTILITY CRYOBIOLOGISTS are employed by sperm banks and fertility clinics to process “donations.” They first conduct an analysis of donated semen under a microscope to determine sperm count, then place it in a centrifuge, which separates the sperm from the other seminal fluids. They then add preservatives and freeze the sperm. Advances in this technology have helped infertile women bear children and have even led to HIV-positive parents being able to conceive healthy babies.
Street sign stolen more than 350 times in Eugene, Oregon: High Street.