Team:UIUC Illinois/Safety

Biosafety Training: All team members were required to attend safety training focused on (1)Understanding what bloodborne pathogens are and their potential impact on your health, (2)Learning how to best protect yourself from exposure to bloodborne pathogens, and (3)Knowing what to do if you are exposed to potentially infectious material.

Known toxic chemical reagents and hazardous physical agents: Ethidium Bromide: Since ethidium bromide is a very toxic agent. We have separate containers for tips, gels and pipettes that have the possibility to carry ethidium bromide. Gloves used in that area are changed immediately after the experiments there.
Ultraviolet Light: UV radiation is used for visualization of the stained DNA in the electrophoretic gels. We always use UV-blocking shields when visualizing electrophoretic gels in UV light. All other toxic and chemicals will be handled to avoid direct contact, and observing the proper safety procedures, additionally, all chemicals reagents and biological materials will be disposed only in the designated biohazard receptacles.

Have your team members received any safety training yet? Our team had two types of training. The first was an online training by the DRS or the Division of Research Safety. This safety training included multiple quizzes and tutorials for General Laboratory Safety and Understanding BioSafety. Additionally, our team took a synthetic biology bootcamp at the beginning of the year to cover general laboratory procedures and safety guidelines. Other safety training such as autoclaving came at another time.

Please briefly describe the topics that you learned about (or will learn about) in your safety training. For all techniques listed, our lab required usage of gloves, goggles, lab coats, closed-toe shoes and long pants to minimize the amount of contact between us and the materials that are being used. Also, general aseptic protocols were adhered to when handling any lab techniques to prevent contamination. Our lab required us to go through a live training with a lab representative to learn proper handling and care of the autoclave.

Since PCR is being used to characterize parts, ethidium bromide is highly carcinogenic. However, the usage of gloves renders the potential threat harmless. The strains of bacteria are all non-virulent, so if ingested will cause mild inconvenience. The strains of bacteria used are non-virulent and possess no ability to harm the general public. There might be a slight inconvenience with lactobacillus that will give a feeling of bloating and mild gas.