Gel Electrophoresis

The protocol for this technique be found here and MSDS for the reagents used can be found here.

Risks

SYBR Safe - SYBR safe is very dangerous to work with, causing skin damage, eye damage and respiratory tract damage, even from a single exposure. Everything that comes into contact with it must be treated as hazardous chemical waste. This must not be disposed of in the same way as biological waste, it should be taken to the stores office where it will be disposed of by the univeristy's contractors.

Gel preparation - the TAE buffer and agarose are not inherently dangerous but to be effectively mixed together they need to be heated, usually in a microwave. To fully dissolve the agarose, the mixture must be heated to a temperature too hot to touch. The container must therefore be handled with a heat proof glove.

There is also a danger that the mixture could superheat and this is extremely dangerous. A mixture that does not appear to be boiling when taken out of the microwave can boil violently when swirled. The mixture should therefore be heated gradually, in small bursts and then swirled at arms length to heat to the minimum possible temperature to completely dissolve. The lid of the container must be on, but not screwed tight as tight as possible to allow for gas expansion as the mixture heats up.