Protocols: Safety

Project-Specific Safety Concerns

Working with electrical equipment can be dangerous if not used properly. We aim to educate users on safety within the lab.

It is essential to ensure that devices are plugged in and not exposed to liquid, especially since liquid cultures are vital to the setup. Improper use of the device may be fatal.

Broken glass may also harm the user if the setup were knocked over. It will be necessary to place the setup away from potentially hazardous objects on a flat and dry surface. In the case that broken glass surrounds the lab, proper disposal procedures should be taken.

Dealing with hazardous waste such as yeast and synthetic media exposes the scientist to harmful or possibly fatal wastes. While Violacein has not fully been investigated, it is declared non hazardous according to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008. ("Violacein 548-54-9 MSDS, Safety Technical Specifications _ MSDS").

General Safety in Our Lab

What risks does your project pose at the laboratory stage? What actions are you taking to reduce those risks?

Our project is BioSafety Level 1. We work with common lab strains of yeast and E. coli, which are kept in closed containers and always handled with gloves. Closed-toe shoes are required in our lab. We autoclave all biohazard waste. When running gel electrophoresis, we use Sybr Safe, which is a mutagen. To minimize exposure, we wear gloves and work in a contained space (fume hood) and use equipment that is not used for other experiments. Chloroform is occasionally used in a hood to contain fumes.

What risks might your project pose, if it were fully developed into a real product that real people could use? What future work might you do to reduce those risks?

If developed into a commercial product, engineered yeast could be released into the environment, with unknown consequences. Although we expect that our yeast would pose no health threat, environmental risk could be minimized by the addition of a genetic killswitch into our system.

Do the biological materials used in your lab work pose any of the following risks?

A. Risks to the safety and health of team members or others working in the lab?

Using E.coli poses a potential risk to the health and safety of our team members working in the lab if it is handled improperly or consumed. It may cause irritation to skin, eyes, and respiratory tract and may adversely affect kidneys.

Using Sybr Safe and Ethidium Bromide to make gels poses health risks because both chemicals are mutagens.

B. Risks to the safety and health of the general public, if released by design or by accident?

The risks to the safety and health of the general public are the same as those for individuals directly working with these biological materials.

C. Risks to the environment, if released by design or by accident?

Sybr Safe and Ethidium Bromide both cause risks to the environment because they are both mutagens.

D. Risks to security through malicious misuse by individuals, groups, or countries?

There is slight concern for the misuse of our systems, since any gene could be substituted in place of the existing outputs.

What safety training have you received (or plan to receive in the future)? Provide a brief description, and a link to your institution's safety training requirements, if available.

All student members of our team have been trained by student advisers about proper lab techniques, lab etiquette, and biohazard waste disposal. All team members have completed the University of Washington's online training in biosafety, fume hood use, managing lab chemicals, electrical safety, asbestos awareness, and fire extinguisher. Advisers have been trained by their respective labs in accordance with the University of Washington Environmental Health and Safety Committee's regulations. Regular EH&S inspections ensure that the lab is up to university lab standards.

Under what biosafety provisions will/do you work?

A. Please provide a link to your institution biosafety guidelines.

Environmental Health and Safety at the University of Washington

B. Does your institution have an Institutional Biosafety Committee, or an equivalent group? If yes, have you discussed your project with them?

The University of Washington Environmental Health and Safety (UW EHS) committee determines biosafety regulations and guidelines for all labs associated with our campus. We have not discussed this specific iGEM project with members of the EHS committee; however, we are working closely with our sponsor labs and have been trained according to the guidelines which they follow.

C. Does your country have national biosafety regulations or guidelines? If so, please provide a link to these regulations or guidelines if possible?

The United States of America has national biosafety regulations and guidelines determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Specifics about their guidelines can be found on their biosafety page.

D. Does your country have national biosafety regulations or guidelines? If so, please provide a link to these regulations or guidelines if possible?