Transfer buffer with methanol spill - (Oct/10/2016 )

So I foolishly spilled a small amount (maybe 100-200 ml?) of transfer buffer with 20% methanol on a cloth chair. I absorbed as much as possible with paper towels. Is the chair safe to use? Can I treat it with anything to mitigate whatever methanol is still present?

Depending on the transfer buffer, but there are usually no hazardous reagents in transfer buffer, other than a little SDS. Methanol is not absorbed through skin, but might dry the skin out a little if poured over the skin at high concentration (e.g. 50% or more). The liquid will also evaporate and leave no residue other than the glycine and tris in the chair.

Long story short: there is no problem.

bob1, methanol does permeate the skin. Indeed, repeated contact exposure, e.g. industrial environments, result in similar health impact as ingestion or vapour inhalation.

There is even a paper from 1931 about it

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ie50260a019

Not a big deal in this case, but care should be taken if you use it very often

Well, you learn something new (or old in this case)...Looks like the absorption rate is fairly low and typically measured using 100% methanol. Interesting, some good procrastination material here.

Methanol is labeled hazardous, that's why I was concerned. I ended up stashing the chair in an unused fume hood for the time being. 

yes, methanol can be hazardous but it will evaporate rather rapidly. you have nothing to fear when the chair is dry.