Team:Concordia/Safety
iGEM CONCORDIA: SAFETY
When iGEM Concordia started researching on nanoparticles, it became apparent, to our dismay, that there was a clear lack of legislation when it came to nanoparticle handling and safety. Thus, environmental consciousness and nanoparticle safety became an important part of this project; we have used two major approaches to respond to the lack of proper nanoparticle handling and laboratory usage methodologies currently available on both national and provincial scale sources.
Our first approach was the design of a 'Safety Operating Procedure' (SOP) which outlines each of the numerous experimental procedures that were fundamental to our project, while ensuring that the most proficient and safe methods of nanoparticle handling and disposal were used throughout. This SOP was evaluated by Concordia University's Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Department, as well as McGill University's EHS Department, and received approval by several reviewers. Our team had taken initiative in researching pre-existing EHS-approved safety protocols for the handling of other harmful materials and integrated that information with the currently available Safety Data Sheet (SDS) information on all materials used in our project's experimentation, and used this to design our own safe approach to both nanoparticle usage and laboratory operation.
Next, our team has generated a 'Nanoparticle Essay' to highlight the effects of nanoparticles on the environment by researching pre-existing information regarding nanoparticle environmental impact. This essay most evidently brings together crucial elements concerning the hazards of nanoparticles toward both living organisms and the ecosystem. Additionally, instruction about nanoparticle properties, as well as positive aspects of nanoparticles on the environment, were described to provide various perspectives on these salient materials.
