News from work, always work...

So, the other week I found out why I need a mask and gloves and all that to work with the nitrate: it's known to cause cancer, "un petit souvenir de Paris," as Pierre said. I said I don't really believe so much in carcinogens, I figure most things cause cancer, and my coworkers said that's just because I come from the U.S. where all our food is genetically modified and our vegetables are unusually huge, which would have been convincing if the primary example hadn't been pickles. I guess I'll start smoking, too, though, just to be sure.