Is Ethidium Bromide in Gel Harmful? Concerns About Accidental Exposure

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the safety concerns related to accidental exposure to ethidium bromide (EtBr) in a hardened gel, particularly focusing on the potential health risks and appropriate responses after such exposure. Participants share their experiences, advice, and concerns regarding handling this chemical in laboratory settings.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the danger of touching a hardened gel containing 6 micro liters of EtBr in a 300 mL solution and expresses concern about their safety after washing their hands.
  • Another participant suggests that the dilution of EtBr and the quick washing of hands should mitigate any danger, although they note that pure EtBr would pose a greater risk.
  • A different participant emphasizes the importance of washing with warm water and mild soap to avoid skin irritation, which could exacerbate any potential exposure effects.
  • Some participants express confusion over a comment made regarding "alpha animals," indicating a lack of clarity in the discussion.
  • Concerns are raised about potential mutations or health effects from exposure, with one participant reassuring others that the skin's thickness provides some protection.
  • One participant explains the mechanism of EtBr binding to DNA and the associated risks of toxicity and mutagenesis, stressing the importance of wearing gloves when handling EtBr.
  • Another participant reassures that if gloves were worn, the risk of contamination is low, but they advise treating all equipment as potentially contaminated in shared lab environments.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying levels of concern regarding the safety of handling ethidium bromide, with some feeling reassured by the dilution and quick washing, while others remain anxious about potential health effects. No consensus is reached on the absolute safety of exposure, and multiple viewpoints on the risks and precautions remain present.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention the lack of clear exposure guidelines from OSHA regarding ethidium bromide, which may contribute to the uncertainty in the discussion. The conversation also reflects differing levels of familiarity with safety protocols and personal experiences in laboratory settings.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be useful for laboratory personnel, students working with ethidium bromide, and individuals interested in safety practices related to chemical handling in scientific research.

Ali00
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How dangerous is ethidium bromide in a hardened gel? I touched it (the hardened gel) with my bare hands (accident) and immediately proceeded to wash thoroughly with soap and water. haha am i going to be fine? This was 6 micro liters of EtBr in a 300 mL solution. Thx a lot in advance.
 
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Oddly, the OSHA website has no exposure guidelines regarding ethidium bromide, but I think you should be safe at that dilution. If it was pure, you'd be in trouble.
 
Since it was already diluted and mostly trapped in the gel and you washed your hands right away (and I'm assuming you just bumped it lightly if it was an accident), you should be fine.

As a general note (in case you didn't already know this), if you do expose yourself to something and want to wash it off, use warm water, not hot or cold, and mild handsoap, not strong detergent...you don't want to irritate or break the skin, which would make the exposure worse.
 
Ali00 said:
How dangerous is ethidium bromide in a hardened gel? I touched it (the hardened gel) with my bare hands (accident) and immediately proceeded to wash thoroughly with soap and water. haha am i going to be fine? This was 6 micro liters of EtBr in a 300 mL solution. Thx a lot in advance.
If you weren't fine, why would you laugh like that ?

PS>I know Ali means Ant in Japanese but since only crazy alpha creatures, I supposed I called ants, will always use or follow people's style like "detective oo7" where it should be "007" instead.
Ideas ?
 
Did anyone understand what she just said?
 
apparently anaylsing both your nickname and your post..

hey, you're still alive! Must be ok then lol
 
lol, she lost me w/ the alpha animals. anywho, I'm just afraid of being mutated or something, but it was just in a gel, so i guess its all good. Thx a lot for the advice you guys.
 
Probably nothing will happen. Skin on hands is relatively thick and has high stratum corneum. Potential genotoxic effect is not relevant in case of dead desquamating cells. I am sure You have already washed it with soap and warm water, don't worry

Probably You have seen this:
http://www.ehs.washington.edu/updates/TipsEthidium.htm

Auiam
 
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Ali00 said:
lol, she lost me w/ the alpha animals. anywho, I'm just afraid of being mutated or something, but it was just in a gel, so i guess its all good. Thx a lot for the advice you guys.
I think the above link's *personal protection* is what you should read more carefully. :wink:
 
  • #10
how would someone know whether they had been contaminated with ethidium bromide. what would happen to the skin?
 
  • #11
does anyone know? please tell me
 
  • #12
Ethidium bromide binds to DNA. You use it in gels to label the DNA (it will fluoresce under UV light). So, the danger is if you expose yourself that you will either kill cells by binding up the DNA or mutate them. Nothing would be immediately obvious about the exposure to skin, but if exposed in large amounts, it is toxic. Just always wear gloves when handling ethidium bromide or gel apparati that has been used with ethidium bromide (just to be extra careful in our lab, we even keep a separate flask just for making gels in case there is any ethidium bromide residue on it, we all know to wear gloves to touch that one, even if it should be clean).
 
  • #13
thx moonbear I'm just a little shaken after working with it so much. i always have gloves on but I'm not sure if my skin had ever been exposed to it. :(
 
  • #14
Don't worry if you've been wearing gloves, just remember to consider things contaminated if you're not the only person dealing with equipment.