One of the worst things that can happen during scientific research is that a project is found to have been contaminated. Companies and organization around the owl spend millions of dollars each and every year on products such as clean rooms and laboratory equipment which is dedicated to avoiding the risk of contamination. Last year alone, pass box manufacturers sold millions of units in order to allow scientists yo pass between clean rooms without contamination and this risk is actually as important as the research itself. The damage which can be done to a scientific experiment if there is even a hint of contamination can be extremely damaging and if you have ever wondered why contamination is such a huge problem, here are just a few reasons why.
Incorrect Results
Whether the work that is being carried out is to discover new drug, investigate plant life or forensic work for the police, the result of the investigation is the single most important thing. Throughout the air, on our clothes, under our fingernails and in all other places, there is bacteria and cells which can have a greatly negative impact on the investigation and on the result itself. The worse case scenario is that the contamination has not been spotted and this could provide results that are very far from the truth.
Wasted Money
Research and scientific investigation costs money for organizations, companies and educational facilities. For this reason, contamination of a certain result can cost a great deal of wasted money. The money will be wasted on the man hours and the equipment used in the first instance, and then if the investigation needs to be carried out again, it will cost a great amount of money once again. The financial side of things is very important in science and a wasted project is not something that anyone needs.
Raised Questions
If contamination is found in a particular laboratory, it can raise some serious questions about their credibility and it could even cause people to heavily question their results. Science can be quite a cutthroat industry and each lab will pride themselves on the quality of both their laboratory, and their results. If contamination takes place and word gets out, it could do serious damage to the reputation of the lab.
Criminal Impacts
When it comes to criminology, contamination simply cannot be accepted. The reason for this is that people’s lives could be at stake if there are incorrect results and readings of crime scene investigations. Such is the sensitivity of a crime scene, if anyone has walked through it or touched anything since the event took place, the entire crime scene could be dispelled by a judge and the police will have lost vital evidence that could very well have supported them with their case.
Contamination is very high on the agenda for scientists the world over and the efforts to avoid it from taking place are taken very seriously.
