Date: Fri, 19 Sep 1997 09:19:00 -0400 From: "Mellard, David" <dam7@cdc.gov> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3598$foo@default> Subject: RE: ethyl methane sulfonate and nitrosomethyle urea
>Does anybody know where I can find "ethyl methane sulfonate" and
>"nitrosomethyle urea" and if these products are safe for
>using/handling in the home? Any information you could provide would
>be appreciated. Thank you.
Hi Matt,
I did my Masters thesis in Microbiology playing havoc with the DNA of
Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells and Chick Embryo Fibroblast using methyl and
ethyl methane sulfonate to cause single strand breaks in DNA.
Nitrosomethyl urea is just as nasty. And definitely no, these chemicals
are not safe to use in the home. They will evaporate to the air and you
and your family members will breath them. You will also be exposed if
you dip any of the chemical on your skin. Prolonged exposure to low
doses or short exposure to high doses will increase your risk of getting
cancer. I had to use them in a fume hood that carried volatilized
chemicals away from my breathing zone and probably just dumped it
outside the lab on some poor unsuspecting undergraduate.
David
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