Occupational risks of (meth)acrylate compounds in embedding media for electron microscopy

Abstract

(Meth)acrylates are the main constituents of embedding media widely used in electron microscopy research for low-temperature embedding of biological tissue. (Meth)acrylates toxicology is still incompletely understood and therefore an estimation of health hazards involved in handling must be inaccurate. (Meth)acrylate monomers are known to be harmful to skin and other tissues and may sensitize workers. Since low-temperature electron microscopy techniques have gained popularity in research laboratories, it is important to establish safety rules for handling the (meth)acrylate-containing solutions. The aim of our report is to review briefly the toxicological properties and occupational hazards of the chemicals involved, summarize our own experiences with resins and protective devices in this respect, give guidelines for safe embedding and pass on these data to all interested researchers in order that workers are not discouraged from using (meth)acrylate embedding media, but know the risks and how to minimize them.