Ethidiom bromide spills on my foot - (Jul/30/2006 )
it was slippery and i was wearing open shoes so good amount of ethidiom bromide on my foot....
i washed with plenty of water ....what should i do?? will i definitly get cancer???
Your foot should be OK because you have cleaned it with plenty of water. Although EB is a carcinogen I don't think contacting once will cause cancer.
you have to cut your foot befor EtBr systematically transfer to your whole body
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dont worry nothing special is going to happen to your foot. but remember never use detergent to remove EtBr.
Once I accidentally dropped the cover of the staining tank into the EtBr solution, and the EtBr just splashed over my whole leg (I was wearing skirt that day)
Well at least my leg doesnt glow in dark or fluorecent under UV after that haha
If you are worry, you can check your foot under UV light to make sure that no ethidium bromide remain on your foot.
Ethidium bromide is a strong carcinogen - one exposure is not safe. Wash your foot thoroughly for at least 15 minutes with fast flowing water.
Beyond that, though, this is a good example why you should NEVER wear open shoes in a lab no matter how hot it is in there.
Very simple question.
Why were you wearing open-shoes in the laboratory? This is illegal and contravenes almost every country's Health and Safety regulations. Were this incident reported (and by law it should be) your university/lab could be prosecuted and fined (even shut down) for allowing open shoes to be worn in a laboratory environment.
Use some sense. Cover your feet. Why do you think you wear and coat and gloves. If you are using potentially hazardous material (e.g., EtBr) then you ought to be certain you are wearing the appropriate PPE.
It is highly unlikely you will become ill unless the EtBr was extremely concentrated and was in contact with your skin for an extended period. However I have little sympathy. Health and Safety regulations are there for a reason and should not be flaunted.
What if it had been sulphuric acid? You wouldn't be worrying then, you'd be in hospital.
Listen to your safety officer and use some common sense.
Be careful, don expose for too long!
minnie, but UV is also a carcinogen...
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Doc MArtin, you are absolutely right....however here in japan everyone in the lab wears slippers...
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Doc MArtin, you are absolutely right....however here in japan everyone in the lab wears slippers... ...so i was told to do so....but of course you are right i will buy closed shoes just for the lab and wear it at all times....thanx a lot guys!
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I'm in a clinical lab now having been in academic research labs for 15 years. In academia we happily wore jeans and a shirt. In the clinical labs the girls tend to wear sandals (which has always rankled with me) and the chaps are expected to wear ties. Which also rankles with me...we aren't in the public view for one and ties seem at risk from trailing through all sorts of yuk and chemistry. I know we have lab coats (buttoned up) but what do you think? Ties on or ties off?