Team:WashU StLouis/Safety
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Safety |
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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.
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