Alcohols In Paper Chromatography For DNA - How Toxic?

Xisca

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Just in case I can get more informations to know the importance of what started to wreak havoc on my health as a baby... I know for sure I was a baby with liver issues and said by doctors to have LOW metabolism.
I have a brother who was born after me with hepatitis, and by this time our mother was also diagnosed with a nodule from hyperthyroidism. She herself said she was never cold before her surgery.

My mother has just passed away from lymphoma, of a type said to mostly come from chemicals. In the 60's, my parents have been working in chemistry. I am the eldest and the only one to be born while my mother was still working.

I could get more informations from my father recently. He said he entered this lab not often and would try to hold his breath because of the strong smell. My mother was going in there all the time and opening the bells to check the results.

It was paper chromatography to analyse acids in ARN and ADN.

The solvents were heavy alcohols such as propyl, butyl, ehtyl, and the same with iso-

Can I conclude that :
- the only problem is that I am like the daughter of an "alcoholic" though my parents never ever got drunk?
- the stress of the heavy smell received all the focus, thus I was informed, but those products are not enough to explain liver and metabolism problems?
...and can even less explain my mother's lymphoma?
- there were surely some other chemicals I am not aware of, and more liable to cause health issues?

Many thanks to whoever knows enough about chemistry to say something.
I know techniques have changed since then...
 

Ella

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Sorry to hear of your mother's passing. Usually, chemists are the least likely to suffer from chemical poisoning because they are the most aware of the toxicity of the chemicals they handle. This is mandatory training for a chemist, not only in today's litigious environment but going back as far as 1970's. Don't know before this time.

Was there a fume hood in the lab? Did they use proper protective clothing; gloves etc? Depends what they where using as a mobile phase. Methanol extremely toxic and depends on health of liver whether you are able to detox alcohols. Asians for instance are not very good and will have flush faces after drinking. The enzyme responsible is same enzyme in conversion of retinol. Still fetus has not yet developed this enzyme and even ethanol or any other alcohol can easily pass through the placenta. If your mother was handling chemicals without fume hood and gloves while pregnant, then there is real risk to fetus. If high alcohol; then baby would be showing signs of fetal alcohol syndrome.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder - Wikipedia.

Methanol - Wikipedia
 
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Xisca

Xisca

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Fume hood no. This lab seemed to have been the 1st to propose this method. The chromatography papers were under glass bells, but they had to lift them to access to the papers. The problem was at this moment, because the solvents were escaping out of the bell when opened. I think she was full time there 2 or 3 years.

Some years ago I asked my mother if she could remember the exact smell, and she said that she forgot, and only remembered that it stunk. But she was not aware of the face "yuk" rictus and head movement of evitation! Caracteristic of freeze response of the ANS...

I do not recognize myself in FASD. I was born at 8 months and curiously, just when my mother started her maternity leave!
-> this strucked me, as I should have been fine from this moment on!
I was not big, but normal appart constipation and vomiting. Since then, I do not know what is constipation. Shy and fearful with people, but early mental development and intelligent. Low pulse and temps as low as 35,5ºC. And she wrote in her notebook that doctors said I had a low metabolism.

As we mostly lived out of the city and ate few processed food appart from margarine, I have no clue what could be enough to give her a lymphoma. Do solvents lift and take in the air what they are with?
 

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