70% Ethanol Question - (Jun/19/2006 )

This seems like a little stupid question:

Do any of you guys use 70% Ethanol solution, which contains methanol, for disinfecting?

Basically, I am asking what kind of ethanol do you use to make 70% Ethanol. If it is "denatured" chances are it has methanol in it. I read that solutions containing 5% methanol are still toxic and should not be used as spray disinfectants. But buying methanol-free ethanol seems like a waste of money (it can be very expensive).

What do you guys use?

Is having methanol really that big of a deal?

Of course methanol is toxic, but then so is ethanol. I use cheap ethanol for my spray disinfectant bottles with no signs of toxicity so far from anyone in the lab. I would not worry about the MeOH content as the exposure to the methanol (and ethanol) is so low that it will not affect you. I suspect that you would have to drink the stuff to have any problems, in which case the Ethanol would probably have an effect first.

For cleaning, denatured alcohol is much more cost effective. For molecular work (purifications, isolations, addition to buffers) you need to use 100%, absolute EtOH. Denatured usually comes as a 95% solution with various chemicals (to deter drinking ) that inhibit proper EtOH concentrations needed for kits and reagent procedures.

no probs ! you can use it for routine cleaning and disinfection.but only thing is donot consume it. recently in our institute one of our lab boy expired after consuming crude alcohol containing methanol.

no probs ! you can use it for routine cleaning and disinfection.but only thing is donot consume it. recently in our institute one of our lab boy expired after consuming crude alcohol containing methanol.

What about Methylisobutyl ketone? Is this okay to have this in your Tissue culture sterilization ethanol?

Reason I ask is because there is a Fisher alcohol that has a lower percentage of methanol but contains this compound.

no probs ! you can use it for routine cleaning and disinfection.but only thing is donot consume it. recently in our institute one of our lab boy expired after consuming crude alcohol containing methanol.

QUOTE (SHIVA KESHAVA @ Jun 20 2006, 12:05 AM)

no probs ! you can use it for routine cleaning and disinfection.but only thing is donot consume it. recently in our institute one of our lab boy expired after consuming crude alcohol containing methanol.

It just hit me...

What do you mean by "expired"?

yes he died after consuming the crude alcohol