Team:WashU StLouis/Safety

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<!--  here ends the section that changes the default wiki template to a white full width background -->
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<!--safety content-->
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<body>
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<tr><td > <h3> Welcome! </h3></td>
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<br>
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<td ></td >
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<table
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<td > <h3> Timeline</h3></td>
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<td colspan="2" rowspan="1" style="vertical-align: top;"><h1>Safety</h1><br>
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<td
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<p> Visit the <a href="https://2014.igem.org/Safety" >Safety Hub</a> to see this year's safety requirements. The Safety Hub is the central page for everything related to safety in iGEM. You can also go there to learn about general biosafety topics, and how to think about the future implications of your project.</p>
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style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; width: 40%; height: 950px;"><img
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style="width: 100%;" alt="Radioactive sign"
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src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2014/a/a1/WashU_Safety_1.JPG"
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align="top">Large signs around the lab help to&nbsp;
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caution those that aren't familiar.<br>
<br>
<br>
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<h3> Edit this page!</h3>
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<img style="width: 100%;" alt="Mutated Strains"
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<p>
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src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2014/a/a0/WashU_Mutated_strains.jpg">Over-grown
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Please use this page to write about anything related to safety in your project. <!--Be sure to talk about both
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mutated <span style="font-style: italic;">E. coli</span> strains
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<ul>
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potentially develop harmful unknown genes<br>
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<li> <a href=" ">Learn about lab Safety for Today</a></li>
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<li> <a href="">Learn about Safety for the future of your project.</a></li>
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</ul>
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-->
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</p>
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<h3> Your Lab </h3>
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<p> Use this section to tell us about your laboratory. Where is it located? What sort of equipment do you use every day? Have you decorated it for the summer? How do you look wearing a lab coat? Take pictures! Show off your space! </p>  
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<!--
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<gallery>
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Image:Example2_Lab_1.png|The building our lab is in!
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Image:Example2_Lab_2.png|The inside of our lab!
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Image:Example2_Lab_3.png|Team Member 3 doing an experiment
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Image:Example2_Lab_4.png|Working in biosafety cabinets
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Image:Example2_Lab_5.png|Team all gloved up and ready for work!
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Image:Example2_Lab_6.png|Equipment that we use to do SCIENCE!
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Image:Example2_Lab_7.png|We decorated this part of our lab
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Image:Example2_Lab_8.png|Whatever else you want
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</gallery>-->
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</td>
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<td></td>
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<td style="vertical-align: top; width: 60%; height: 950px;"><span
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style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">W</span><span
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style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">ould any of your
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<td width="45%" valign="top">  
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project ideas ra</span><span
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style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">ise safety issues in
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terms of:</span><br>
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<ul>
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<br style="font-style: italic;">
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<li> <b>Now :</b> Read the <a href="https://2014.igem.org/Safety">Safety Hub </a> and learn about safety in iGEM. Ask questions by emailing safety at <i> igem DOT org </i>. </li>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;"><span
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<li><b>Now - Jamboree:</b> Complete <b>Check-Ins</b> and receive approval before acquiring and using certain materials in your lab</li>
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style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Researcher Safety?</span></div>
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<li><b>Now - Wiki Freeze:</b> Edit this Safety page to tell us about what you're doing</li>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;">The WashU team is working
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<li><b>June 9: </b>Submit the About Our Lab form.</li>
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primarily
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<li><b>Let us know by June 25 </b>if you will need an extension on the Preliminary Version, or your Preliminary Version will be significantly incomplete.</li>
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with common, harmless chemicals. In addition, the researchers have been
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<li><b>June 30: </b>Submit the Preliminary Version of the <b>Safety Form</b>.</li>
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trained in proper handling of chemicals for hazardous chemicals such as
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<li>Participate in Virtual Open Office Hours to ask questions and discuss safety topics (exact date to be determined).</li>
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Ethidium Bromide. For each such chemical, the team has read and
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<li><b>September 1:</b> Submit the Final Version of the Safety Form.</li>
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followed appropriate safety protocols to ensure the continued health of
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<li><b>October: </b> Wiki freeze (exact date to be determined)</li>
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the team. In all necessary instances, nitrile gloves, lab coats, and
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<li><b>October 30 - November 3: </b>GIANT JAMBOREE!</li>
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safety goggles are used as a further safety precaution. Additionally,
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all work with volatile chemicals is carried out in a fume hood.
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</ul>
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Overall, though, the chemicals that the team deals with on a daily
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basis are relatively harmless and can be handled by any researcher with
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ease.<br>
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</div>
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<span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br>
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</span>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;"><span
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style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Public Safety?</span><br>
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</div>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;">All researchers in the WashU team
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have
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been trained in applicable lab safety and sterile techniques to ensure
 +
that no one inadvertently releases bacteria into the environment. In
 +
any case, all bacteria are maintained in cell cultures. The products we
 +
extracted from the bacteria, safranal and crocin, are safe to work
 +
with. There is no danger to the public from the work that the team does
 +
in the lab.<br>
 +
</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><br>
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</span>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;"><span
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style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Environmental Safety?</span><br>
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</div>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;">All harmful chemicals that we
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work with
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are disposed of in compliance with local and federal Environmental
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Health and Safety (EHS) standards. The EHS disposes of these harmful
 +
chemicals in a way that is least deleterious to the environment.<br>
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</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><br>
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</span>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;"><span
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style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Do any of the new
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BioBrick parts (or devices) that you made this year raise any safety
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issues?</span><br>
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</div>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;">None of our new BioBrick parts
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raise
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any significant safety issues given that they are genes found commonly
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in Crocus sativus and Arabidopsis thaliana. None of the new BioBrick
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parts should provide any advantages in transformed bacteria as compared
 +
with wild type bacteria. Therefore these parts should be very safe to
 +
use and manipulate.<br>
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</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><br>
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</span>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;"><span
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style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Is there a local
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biosafety group, committee, or review board at your institution?</span><br>
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</div>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;">Yes.<br>
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</div>
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<br>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;"><span
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style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">If yes, what does your
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local biosafety group think about your project?</span><br>
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</div>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;">The local EHS division is active
 +
on the
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Washington University campus. The entire team completed an EHS training
 +
course to encourage lab safety. Our project was approved by the biology
 +
department which is held accountable directly to the EHS
 +
representative. In addition, we worked directly with the EHS in order
 +
to facilitate our YLC project. After extensive communication with our
 +
team, they gave us their approval for our project.<br>
 +
</div>
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<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><br>
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</span>
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<div style="margin-left: 40px;"><span
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style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Do you have any other
 +
ideas how to deal with safety issues that could
 +
be useful for future iGEM competitions? How could parts, devices and
 +
systems be made even safer through biosafety engineering?</span><br>
 +
</div>
 +
<div style="margin-left: 40px;">Currently all team members are
 +
required
 +
to complete EHS training as part of the Washington University
 +
requirements to work in a lab. Every team in the iGEM competition
 +
should complete basic lab safety training as a part of the requirements
 +
to compete. This would encourage safer practices which will set good
 +
habits for the future of bioengineering. In order to make parts safer,
 +
better characterization upon submission should be stressed by iGEM.
 +
That way, future iGEM teams will know how to properly deal with
 +
submitted parts and prevent any potential risks that may be associated
 +
with a dearth of precautions taken while dealing with harmful parts.</div>
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Latest revision as of 22:16, 17 October 2014




Safety


Radioactive signLarge signs around the lab help to  caution those that aren't familiar.

Mutated StrainsOver-grown mutated E. coli strains potentially develop harmful unknown genes
Would any of your project ideas raise safety issues in terms of:

Researcher Safety?
The WashU team is working primarily with common, harmless chemicals. In addition, the researchers have been trained in proper handling of chemicals for hazardous chemicals such as Ethidium Bromide. For each such chemical, the team has read and followed appropriate safety protocols to ensure the continued health of the team. In all necessary instances, nitrile gloves, lab coats, and safety goggles are used as a further safety precaution. Additionally, all work with volatile chemicals is carried out in a fume hood. Overall, though, the chemicals that the team deals with on a daily basis are relatively harmless and can be handled by any researcher with ease.

Public Safety?
All researchers in the WashU team have been trained in applicable lab safety and sterile techniques to ensure that no one inadvertently releases bacteria into the environment. In any case, all bacteria are maintained in cell cultures. The products we extracted from the bacteria, safranal and crocin, are safe to work with. There is no danger to the public from the work that the team does in the lab.

Environmental Safety?
All harmful chemicals that we work with are disposed of in compliance with local and federal Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) standards. The EHS disposes of these harmful chemicals in a way that is least deleterious to the environment.

Do any of the new BioBrick parts (or devices) that you made this year raise any safety issues?
None of our new BioBrick parts raise any significant safety issues given that they are genes found commonly in Crocus sativus and Arabidopsis thaliana. None of the new BioBrick parts should provide any advantages in transformed bacteria as compared with wild type bacteria. Therefore these parts should be very safe to use and manipulate.

Is there a local biosafety group, committee, or review board at your institution?
Yes.

If yes, what does your local biosafety group think about your project?
The local EHS division is active on the Washington University campus. The entire team completed an EHS training course to encourage lab safety. Our project was approved by the biology department which is held accountable directly to the EHS representative. In addition, we worked directly with the EHS in order to facilitate our YLC project. After extensive communication with our team, they gave us their approval for our project.

Do you have any other ideas how to deal with safety issues that could be useful for future iGEM competitions? How could parts, devices and systems be made even safer through biosafety engineering?
Currently all team members are required to complete EHS training as part of the Washington University requirements to work in a lab. Every team in the iGEM competition should complete basic lab safety training as a part of the requirements to compete. This would encourage safer practices which will set good habits for the future of bioengineering. In order to make parts safer, better characterization upon submission should be stressed by iGEM. That way, future iGEM teams will know how to properly deal with submitted parts and prevent any potential risks that may be associated with a dearth of precautions taken while dealing with harmful parts.