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I once got into an argument with a coworker about the non-reactivity and biocompatibility of PTFE (Teflon). What a fool: I had worked with the stuff on medical
by gumby 4y ago
I once got into an argument with a coworker about the non-reactivity and biocompatibility of PTFE (Teflon). What a fool: I had worked with the stuff on medical devices at a previous startup.
In any case out of annoyance I swallowed some teflon plumbing tape. A few days later I had to take an international flight and, ta-da, excreted it in the aircraft toilet. That was lucky as I had a convenient metal shelf and not a bowl of water. As I had predicted it was intact and perfectly white.
I sent my colleague a photo from my phone. He was annoyed when I got home.
PS: I had been carrying around a cheap disposable pen for this purpose. I stole it from his desk.
- BrianOnHN 4y agoImpressive dedication to science.
- gumby 4y agoThanks! I prefer to think of it as pettiness or peevishness. I knew there would be no risk.
- injb 4y ago>> I knew there would be no risk. ...as long as the plumming tape was made from Teflon, and nothing else.
- unsupp0rted 4y agoI assume the majority of the most important science humans have done was to win an argument or impress a woman (or, more rarely but more notably, a man).
- gumby 4y agoMostly men, for tenure or boasting purposes. Until quite recently women were excluded from science, as they were excluded from so many other interesting things.
- SturgeonsLaw 4y agoDepending on how reductionist you want to get (and if you're anything like me, that's quite reductionist), most everything we do is at least tangentially associated with impressing a mate.
- scns 4y agoBoth criminals and scientists put in the biggest amount of energy into their "career" before they hit 30. Trying to impress a mate makes sense as an explanation. The peaking physical condition and declining Testosterone production after 30 might be another reason.
- PakG1 4y agoIn the fashion of Barry Marshall. https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-doctor-who-drank-infectious-broth-gave-himself-an-ulcer-and-solved-a-medical-mystery https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-doctor-who-drank...
- gumby 4y agoInteresting, my mum did get her medical degree from that institution…
- cm2187 4y agoI hope he recovered his pen.
- gumby 4y agoHa ha I should have considered that. Then again it could have led to an awkward situation while crossing a border. I remember carefully depositing it into the rubbish bin of the toilet (the hinged door is always so small). And washing my hands really well.
- austinjp 4y agoA few *days* later? I guess I don't know the expected intestinal transit time for teflon tape. So it emerged white. Firstly, that seems odd. Secondly, how do you know no particulates were shed inside you? Surely just eyeballing it isn't going to tell you much?
- gumby 4y ago> So it emerged white. Firstly, that seems odd. I think it would be odd had it not emerged white. It was white thread tape (I've never seen any other color). And it's not like it should react with the contents of my bowel. > Secondly, how do you know no particulates were shed inside you? Surely just eyeballing it isn't going to tell you much? You're right, except that I already knew the answer: as I mentioned in my comment I'd already used PTFE in a previous job; I've dissected and otherwise processed innumerable tissue samples from animals injected with various biocompatible polymers in the process of preclinical studies. Teflon is quite common in implanted medical devices for the very reason that it is safe and doesn't tend to break down. Some polymers are considered safe but clear from the body through mechanisms nobody has worked out. For example the polymer fillers some people have injected to push out wrinkles are, as far as I remember, a safe mw of PEG that just seems to...go away. I've used PEG as a drug carrier but have used the drug to determine how it was breaking down (or microscopy), rather than trying to assay the carrier itself. FDA is super concerned about the API (i.e. drug) and most excipients, but for a neutral GRAS carrier like PEG. meh. Though they do care a lot that you make sure the mw is in one of the GRAS ranges!
- trelane 4y ago> It was white thread tape (I've never seen any other color). Teflon tape for gas connections is yellow.
- rationalist 4y agoIs there any particular reason?
- 4y ago
- PebblesRox 4y agoWhen my oldest was a baby, he swallowed a shiny star sticker. I found it in his diaper a day or two later, still shiny and still star-shaped.
- canadianfella 4y agoGross.
- atomlib 4y agoThat's enough Hacker News for today. You people are already acting Hacker News.
- saghm 4y ago> I sent my colleague a photo from my phone. He was annoyed when I got home. Did you...clean it off? Or just take a picture of it in the bowl along with the rest of the contents? I'd like to think I could the former, but if one of my coworkers sent me a picture of their faeces, annoyed wouldn't even begin to describe how I'd feel. Being completely incorrect on a technical matter, even foolishly so, isn't anywhere close to warranting being treated that shitty (pun fully intended but unfortunately not enough to mitigate my disgust at the idea of being sent a picture like this from a collegeaue).
- oxfordmale 4y agoI can't think of any possible reason your colleague would be annoyed with a photo of your excretions in an aircraft toilet.
- psychphysic 4y agoNot as annoyed as the TSA agent knuckle deep in you worried about a wrap being undone internally.
- resoluteteeth 4y ago> I had been carrying around a cheap disposable pen for this purpose For what purpose? Picking out the PTFE tape?
- gumby 4y agoYes. What tool would you have used?
- poopknife420 4y agoCivilized people use a poop knife...
- johnchristopher 4y agoI think the cutlery has to travel in the hold of the aircraft though.
- avereveard 4y agoNot on a plane you don't.
- throwanem 4y agoUnless the flight has a dinner service.