When a chemical that I have been waiting for arrives at my lab, it feels a bit like Christmas for two reasons: Getting shiny new toys is exciting, and there will be a ton of stuff strewn across the floor.

I'm all for safety, but five layers of packaging material seems like a bit of overkill for a one gram bottle of ethidium bromide – even if it is slightly flammable and highly toxic. This little glass container, which came to my lab today, seemed to be packed for Armageddon.

Perhaps a much smaller but sturdier plastic container would do the trick and save lots of room in the delivery truck – which is becoming more important as gas prices rise.

Do you think all of that packaging material is overkill?