As much as I love my job, sometimes I wonder how really important is what I do. Well, I am starting almost each scientific paper from “Polychlorinated biphenyls are important environmental contaminants” or something of this sort. But are they really? To keep me going believing in it, I really need from time to time to read the articles like this about PCBs being found in whales or like that, featuring PCBs and other currently monitored pollutants in human blood, both published by National Geographic. But in fact I never seen PCBs being present in more “contemporary” literature before. Until today. I am currently “reading out” Edna Buchanan crime stories, and here it is, on page 43 of “Suitable for framing”. They are talking about PCBs which were found in copier ink and are contaminating air in the office. Can be as well true! I guess it means that somebody, not just us scientist, not only knows, but also cares about those PCBs around them. And it reminds me as well about the interesting PCB-related web page somebody mentioned on last meeting. It was started by a parent who found out that PCBs may be present in caulk, and contaminate soil around schools, where children play. Really, when I think how little research translation most of us, scientist do, I wonder where people really find all this information! I am sure they don’t read our scientific papers and journals, I don’t read them myself! I will print out and read articles related to my work, and that’s it. They are just plain boring. But that’s good that they do, and that’s good that I am working on something that matters. After all.

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