Last Revised: July 08, 2022

Revision 7/2022 

 

The requirements in Penn's Chemical Hygiene Plan SOP: Corrosives and SOP: Strong Oxidizers apply to all work methyl methacrylate (MMA) (CAS#80-62-6).  The Fact Sheet below gives hazard information and precautions for working with this chemical; however, this information is provided as a supplement to the SOPs, which must first be read and understood by anyone planning to work with this chemical.

Methyl methacrylate (MMA) embedding is a common procedure in light microscopy specimen preparation and was the first resin that was widely used for electron microscopy sample preparation.  Advantages of MMA embedding include its low viscosity and high hardness of the resulting polymer.  These properties enable thin cuts of sections and processing of harder samples.  In fact, it is the primary method for processing undecalcified bone.  This Fact Sheet provides guidance on the general hazards and controls of this process.

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