Does anyone add Etbr to running buffer used to make agarose gels? - (Nov/13/2006 )
So, it's better to work under a hood, and not to boil EtBr.
It's not so difficult to add EtBr only when the gel is melted, and this could save your life and the one of your colleagues.
so, why to take the risk? tell me.
It was more a theoretical question, I will not change our protocol.
Sometimes I think EtBr is "overestimated", our Prof told me that in former times nobody used gloves, then they used latex gloves for decades. Now latex gloves rated as useless (he is over 60, but still without cancer). Perhaps we should collect cancer data & lab procedures from all members here working with it, would be a nice small paper
EtBr is mutagen. It's harmful if swallowed of inhalated.
So, it's better to work under a hood, and not to boil EtBr.
It's not so difficult to add EtBr only when the gel is melted, and this could save your life and the one of your colleagues.
so, why to take the risk? tell me.
It was more a theoretical question, I will not change our protocol.
Sometimes I think EtBr is "overestimated", our Prof told me that in former times nobody used gloves, then they used latex gloves for decades. Now latex gloves rated as useless (he is over 60, but still without cancer). Perhaps we should collect cancer data & lab procedures from all members here working with it, would be a nice small paper
handling EtBr without gloves increases the risk to get a cancer. It doesn't mean that if you do so, the day after you will see a big tumor growing on your hand. you just increase the risk. If you are lucky as your prof, you will have nothing, if you are unlucky, you will die because of a cancer in 10 -20 years. Unfortunately you won't be here anymore to say that EtBr is dangerous, only the lucky guys are still here, claiming that it is not.
You can also cross the street with closed eyes. you know you increase the risk of getting an accident. several guys already did it, would you?
I don't think anyone on this discussion is advocating that we abandon all safety precautions concerning EtBr. Most of what I have read dealing with the harmful effects occurs either when it is in powder/crystalline form or when in high concentrations. Most of the danger in liquid form seems to be directed towards increased absorption rates. Granted, 10mg/mL is fairly concentrated and as such I take all precautions when handling it.
However, when only 15uL is added to a liter of solution I think SOME of the potency is reduced. There are two schools of thought...1) Take all precautions necessary and watch out for new safety methods and 2) We recognize it is dangerous but don't think all-out safety measures need to be taken.
The literature is sill open for debate as to whether EtBr is truely mutagenic/carcinogenic. They assume because of its structural properties that it is and can be, but I don't believe any definitive studies have been done to prove it one way or the other.
EtBr is mutagen. It's harmful if swallowed of inhalated.
So, it's better to work under a hood, and not to boil EtBr.
It's not so difficult to add EtBr only when the gel is melted, and this could save your life and the one of your colleagues.
so, why to take the risk? tell me.
It was more a theoretical question, I will not change our protocol.
Sometimes I think EtBr is "overestimated", our Prof told me that in former times nobody used gloves, then they used latex gloves for decades. Now latex gloves rated as useless (he is over 60, but still without cancer). Perhaps we should collect cancer data & lab procedures from all members here working with it, would be a nice small paper
Ummm... my supervisor was trained by people who work on the christmas island nuclear fallout study. And in his time, nobody bothered to use safety gear, cause the radiation was so small in comparision....
Now look how we treat the radioisotops?
Add 20 years on to this topic and I am sure we will see the horrored looks off future PhD students...
Back in my day, we added EtBr directly in to the gels and run it right on of the bench too.. also had this one big bath of EtBr to stain our gels...
It's an extra 5 seconds adding EtBr to your gel after you heat it. Not a bad deal considering you could get cancer instead. I don't understand people sometimes.