Are there any available reports on electrophoresis accidents?

[jarlemag]

Hi,

I'm currently involved in an effort to set up a DIY bio lab. Electrophoresis seems to be one of the biggest safety hazards, based on pages such as this which note that electrophoresis equipment potentially can deliver a lethal electrical shock. Do you know about any reports or sources available which describe electrical accidents or deaths resulting from laboratory use of electrophoresis?

Best regards,

JM

[jarlemag]

To start out and answer myself, I've found a couple:

• Spencer, Ingram and Levinthal:Science. 1966 Jun 24;152(3730):1722-3. Electrophoresis: an accident and some precautions. http://science.sciencemag.org/content/152/3730/1722. It's worth noting that this happened before the time of modern commercial electrophoresis equipment, and the voltage was 5000 V.
• https://www.aiha.org/get-involved/VolunteerGroups/LabHSCommittee/Incident%20Pages/Lab-Safety-Electrical-Incidents.aspx. See "Electrical Shock from Electrophoresis Unit".

Any more?

Best regards,

JM