When we are working routinely with a substance such as acrylamide it is
easy to become complacent about the safety issues, so I think your
concern is good. This is what we do in our lab and the rationale behind
it. It is still hearsay, but I hope it helps.
We also use 50% Long Ranger solution. We mix and pour on the bench using
gloves and glasses. We put benchcoat under the gels being poured and
regularly change that (maybe once a week) when it accumulates acrylamide
drips. We wash binder clips and other stuff with acrylamide buildup
occasionally.
Acrylamide is most dangerous in powder form when the dust can be
inhaled. That is why there are strong MSDS warnings to avoid breathing
dust, use with adequate ventilation, etc. If you are weighing out your
acrylamide, I would DEFINITELY do it in a hood with gloves, coat,
glasses, mask. If you use the pre-weighed stuff (BIORAD) or a solution
such as LR, inhalation danger is minimal--it's not particularly
volatile. Even though the powder is cheap, we switched to the
pre-weighed and then the liquid several years ago PRIMARILY for the
safety issues of long-term exposure.
The other routes of exposure: ingestion, eye contact, and skin contact
can be avoided by gloves and glasses and a sign that says "Do not drink
the acrylamide". A spill should be washed off the skin immediately and
contaminated clothing should be washed before letting it get next to your
skin again. Of course you should have an eyewash and shower available.
When the acrylamide is completely polymerized, my understanding is that
it is no longer a hazard. However, we never assume that every last
molecule has polymerized and handle old gels with gloves. The dried
acrylamide on the benchcoat has been exposed to air and we assume has
polymerized even less completely than the gel. We probably should change
that paper a lot more than we do! Leftover acrylamide from gel pouring
is allowed to polymerize before throwing in the trash. Any acrylamide
that is outdated or suspect is polymerized before throwing away.
To add a little perspective, my daughter dyed her hair with a temporary
color and in reading the product insert I discovered ACRYLAMIDE as one of
the ingredients. But whatever people expose themselves to in the short
term, long term exposure in our work environment is different and we
always want to keep our exposure to a reasonable minimum.
Linda
"A.Krupa" wrote:
> Hello ABRFers! ,
>
> I wonder if any of you could give me some advice regarding
> Acrylamide/polyacrylamide. We are currently using Long Ranger 50 %
> solution to make our mixes. Now, the problem we have is that we don't
> have enough fumehood space to allow us to pour our gels in them
> resulting in us having to pour them on our own individual benches. I
> am not happy with this situation and think that there are safety rules
> that we are breaking.
>
> Could you tell me
>
> a) How you pour your gels (bench or fumehood)?
>
> b) How it should be done?
>
> c) Is the gel safe after polymerisation (what about the liquid that
> settles on the surface of the gel? or dry polyacrylamide dust?). Some
> people say this is safe. I can't find any reference to this except
> hearsay.
>
> Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> Andy Krupa.
>
> Andy Krupa
> Dept. of Animal and Plant Sciences
> University of Sheffield
> Western Bank
> Sheffield
> S10 2TN
>
> Tel.01142 220108
--Linda Wood Ballard Genomics Core Facility Huntsman Cancer Institute 4A 430A School of Medicine University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 84132
(801) 581-3875 FAX (801) 585-2978