I am planning to use Cobalt Chloride in cell-based assay to induce hypoxia. Though I saw it is very dangerous. How do you deal with it in routine lab practices?
Thanks!
Not too dangerous Use gloves and mask when preparing a solution. I prepare a 25mM stock solution water immediately before use. For induction of hypoxia in cell culture I typically use a final concentration of 100μM in the media (various by cell line) for 24 hours.
As mentioned above, your main risk will be from inhalation of the dust when weighing it out (as well as skin contact) - so gloves/mask is ideal. This will be exacerbated if your are weighing out a large amount (i.e. several grams) but making a concentrated stock mitigates this (as suggested above, 25mM is fine). If you don't have a mask, using a balance in a fume hood is possible but quite tricky with a fine balance - use a top loading balance, they aren't as sensitive. It's actually a fairly solid crystalline material, unlike some flocculent powders, so you'd have to trying pretty hard to get it up your nose/in your mouth....
hello all, thanks for the responses. I have never used cobalt chloride before and i have to use it now. i am considering the safety measures. I do understand the main risk is while weighing and dissolving it. I am planning to buy Cobalt chloride 0.1 M solution from sigma aldrich. i will off course be treating the cells with it inside the hood, i guess this is sufficient safety measure. but i wanted to ask how to handle the media post treatment and cell/cell lysate post treatment. Thanks in advance.
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