Coomassie safety

[Dr Engelbert Buxbaum]

Am 07.05.2009, 14:32 Uhr, schrieb <oliver.starks from gmail.com>:

> Some Bradford assay cuvettes were improperly dumped into a bacterial
> broth waste bottle in our lab, and subsequently autoclaved.  How much
> of a concern is the especially unpleasant odor that was created?  Is
> Coomassie dangerous if heated in this manner?

No. Were those polystyrene cuvettes? In that case the smell probably comes  
 from decomposing plastic. I would not make a habit of breathing styrene on  
a regular basis, but a minor amount in a well ventilated area (!?) would  
not make you keel over.