The truth is, it's actually quite common for scientists to suffer allergic reactions to their own research specimens, according to Lanny J. Rosenwasser, a Denver physician and immunologist. This is especially so when lab animals are involved. Rosenwasser estimates that anyone handling laboratory animals has a 25 to 35 percent chance of developing an allergy to that creature, whether it be a cockroach, mouse, rabbit, or squirrel monkey. The reactions can be sudden and severe, forcing the scientists to don face masks and protective clothing, or they can develop gradually over time. In some cases, researchers eventually have been forced to abandon their areas of study altogether.
As common and potentially dangerous as these allergies are, however, the problem has not yet attracted much concern in the scientific community. "I suppose this is because it is not seen as a major health problem," says Rosenwasser, the head of allergy and ...
