Lab coat
A lab coat is a long-sleeved coat that buttons up at the front.
What is it for?
It protects your clothes and skin from spills and splashes.
How to use it
Button it all the way up so it covers your clothes, and take it off before you leave the lab.
🥽 Safety tip: If something spills on it, the coat can come off quickly, which is much faster than changing your own clothes.
Fun fact from Fizzy: Lab coats are usually white, so spills and stains are easy to spot.
A closer look
Lab coats are usually made of cotton, or a cotton and polyester mix. Scientists who work with fire or very flammable chemicals wear special flame-resistant coats. The long sleeves cover your arms when you reach across the bench.
Lab coats stay in the lab. Wearing one in the canteen could carry chemicals or germs onto your food, and they are washed separately from normal clothes.
Where you would see one
Chemists, doctors, food scientists and lab technicians all wear lab coats. Many schools give students an apron instead, which protects their clothes in the same way.