Ethidium Brouhaha

Mouchette got a strange link from a science article because of an entry published on 29-10-1999

The product in question is mentioned on this page under the name of Joshua

 “28 Oct 1999 Joshua:
 Well if i were to kill myself back when i was under 13, i would have probably jury rigged a small device that suctioned to my eyeballs and released a large electric charge.
Otherwise, i would bathe myself in a tub full of ethidium bromide so that my body would absorb enough of the stuff to ruin my DNA eventually leading to a slow death.”

You can read the whole scientific article the (link to Mouchette on the last page)

Ethidium brouhaha: exorcising the EtBr demon from wimpy researchers
K. Lalchhandama Department of Zoology, Pachhunga University College, Aizawl 796001, India
Received 7 January 2016 | Accepted 21 January 2016

ABSTRACT:
Ethidium bromide is a celebrity stain, and a very tainted one, in molecular biology. Its stigmatisation as a toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic chemical has stirred an uncalled-for but what seems like a calculated hysteria among researchers. This has merely actuated what can be described as a necessary advertising war. The so-called safer alternatives are not overwhelmingly superior or entirely safe. For example, SYBR Green is, by evidence, more mutagenic. They may be regarded as optional, but at a higher financial cost. If anyone feels safer with extravagance, then the optional stains are an obvious choice. EtBr had been the principal drug for the mass treatment of cattle trypanosomiasis since the early 1950s, and no cancer has been reported among cattle. There are researchers who has handled the chemical throughout their career for decades, and none had made any complaint whatsoever. There is no medical record of molecular biologists taking cancer therapy because of EtBr. Milk producers are using it in large quantities. To the further extreme, people have actually drunk it without any apparent adverse effect. This is a lesson to learn that this is a case of bad meme and people have put an undue stain to this useful stain. Key words: Ethidium bromide; carcinogen; toxic; safety.

You can download the whole  pdf: Lalchhandama-2-SV-16-1

 



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