Difference between revisions of "Team:Lambert GA/Safety"

Team Safety

• Wash in, wash out
• Protect eyes, mucous membranes, open cuts and wounds from contact with biohazard material
• Do not eat or drink when in the lab area
• Always use gloves and splash-proof goggles
• Tie back loose hair
• Disinfect all surfaces with 70% ethanol prior to working
• Disinfect all disposable tips, glassware, tubes by soaking in 10% bleach solution for 20 minutes and then disposing in normal waste
• Dispose of growth plates by disposing into a biohazard container which get autoclaved
• Check all equipment for good working order, no chips, torn cords, cracks. Report any issues to an instructor immediately
• When pipetting, don’t touch tip to side of container
• Don’t lay caps of tubes upside down. Use masking tape to hold to bottom of cabinets
• Clean work area with 70% ethanol after working
• Clean up all glassware and labware before leaving lab
• Place all backpacks and stools to the side of the lab to keep walkways clear
• Always know the correct procedure for disposal of lab materials

Project Safety

Recognizing the limitations of the current methods utilized for the detection of cholera the 2018 Lambert iGEM team will be building a disease detector utilizing RNA based biosensors called Toehold Switches. This will include engineering E. coli to detect Vibrio cholerae utilizing a short sequence from the gene, ctxB. The Cholera enterotoxin subunit B is a non-toxic gene that is specific to the Vibrio cholerae serotype O1 (strain ATCC 39315) allowing the target sequence to be accurate and safe enough for the detection of Cholera. By developing a RNA-based detection mechanism for Cholera, Lambert iGEM is able to address the epidemic of waterborne diseases at drastically lower costs, without sacrificing on quality or performance, to further integrate practical and efficient solutions for Synthetic Biology.

For future implications, the Lambert iGEM team will not be conducting any direct experimentation with Vibrio cholerae as stated in our check-in form. Any testing with V. cholerae will be conducted under a specialized lab that is authorized to work with these strains.

BL21 DH5-alpha E. coli is our nonpathogenic chassis and was developed for laboratory cloning use. The potential health and environmental hazard associated with BL21 DH5-alpha E. coli hazards are highly limited and can be handled in Biosafety level 1 laboratories.

Hardware & Software Safety

The main safety hazards with our 3D printer is the temperature fluctuations. The nozzle is able to heat up to 220 degrees Celsius. In addition, leaving the printer unattended can be dangerous due to the 3D printer’s high temperatures which could cause a potential fire. However, our printer is advanced and possesses mechanisms to prevent this from happening the chance of this occurring is extremely rare, but if it occurs, it can cause serious damage and end up burning parts of the printer. The printer uses softwares called Crash Detection and Heat Overload to monitor the overall safety of the printer. The printer will always be monitored by a PI preventing any unwanted accidents.

CALM's SMS surveys do not collect any personal identifying data. The questions in the survey only ask for the governorate in which the responder resides and general health and sanitation questions (e.g. "how many people have you seen with cholera this week?"). We do not record or process phone numbers.

The voltage output from the ElectroPen is not hazardous to any user due to the low current (scale of nanoamperes to microamperes) equivalent to static electricity. The safety risks associated with the device can therefore be regarded as minimal, and proper handling can include wearing gloves to avoid electric shock.