As a manufacturer and supplier of chemical reagents for research, we at Biotium understand the critical role we play in protecting the Earth’s natural resources. Consequently, our commitment to innovation not only entails pushing the boundaries of performance, but also how our products can contribute to a safer and more sustainable research environment.

For this reason, whenever possible we strive to develop products that can be disposed down the sink without harming wildlife. We also design our products with researchers’ safety in mind. And unlike other companies that claim their products are safe, we have data to back us up, including environmental safety reports from third party testing facilities. The dyes featured here are all classified as non-hazardous for waste disposal under California Title 22 regulations.

Safer Alternatives to EtBr, SYBR® Safe, & Others

GelRed® and GelGreen® are sensitive fluorescent DNA gel stains designed to replace highly toxic ethidium bromide (EtBr) and other so-called safe gel stains. Ames tests have confirmed that GelRed® and GelGreen® are non-mutagenic at concentrations well above the concentrations used for gel staining. Furthermore, environmental safety tests showed that GelRed® and GelGreen® are non-toxic to aquatic life, permitting disposal down the drain or in regular trash. To learn more, visit the GelRed® and GelGreen® technology page.

GelRed® and GelGreen® stains are also available pre-coated to ultra-pure LE agarose. Using GelRed® Agarose LE and GelGreen® Agarose LE is easy and convenient, and obviates the need to handle concentrated fluorescent dye.

EvaGreen® Dye is the first and only PCR dye to date designed to be environmentally safe.

Many DNA-binding dyes in PCR mixes pose health and environmental risks due to their mutagenic potential. SYBR® Green I, for example, is more toxic than ethidium bromide and may interfere with DNA repair. Other dyes like SYTO9 and LC Green also enter cells quickly, raising genotoxicity concerns. Biotium’s EvaGreen® Dye is designed to be cell membrane-impermeant, making it far safer. Tests confirm it is non-mutagenic, non-cytotoxic, and safe for aquatic life. EvaGreen® meets California safety standards for drain disposal. It’s featured in our Forget-Me-Not™ qPCR Master Mixes, available with no, low, or high ROX, plus optional two-color tracking to reduce pipetting errors. Learn more on our EvaGreen® Dye technology page.

See our safety data report for EvaGreen® Dye below.

Biotium offers a wide selection of fluorescence-based DNA quantitation kits that vary in concentration range, instrument compatibility, and detection channel. Our AccuBlue® High Sensitivity dsDNA Quantitation Kit for microplate readers uses non-toxic and non-mutagenic EvaGreen® Dye for safer handling and easy disposal. Similarly, our AccuGreen™ Broad Range dsDNA Quantitation Kit designed for Thermo’s Qubit® fluorometer also uses a non-toxic and non-mutagenic DNA-binding dye. Learn more about our complete line of kits on our DNA & RNA quantitation technology page.