SAFETY

All wet lab experiments are hosted at the University of Lethbridge Chemistry and Biochemistry department. The lab itself is a Containment Level One which “requires no special design features beyond those suitable for a well-designed and functional laboratory. Containment is achieved through the use of practices normally employed in a basic microbiology laboratory.” - Public Health Agency of Canada.

Other precautions are taken to further provide a safe work environment for team members. Prior to any lab work, students are required to come in lab-appropriate attire: long pants, closed-toed shoes, and tied-back long hair. Further equipment is given to the student for extra protection such as lab coats, safety glasses, and gloves. All labs at the University of Lethbridge are equipped with fire extinguishers, emergency showers, eyewash stations, and first aid kits in case of dire situations. WHMIS training is provided to all students before any wet lab experiments, and advisor supervision is provided at all times to further ensure safety.

To address biosafety, the University of Lethbridge has a Risk and Safety Services committee tasked with ensuring a safe work environment is upheld by all labs within the institution. The goal of the committee is to “... educate, mentor, foster and grow an environment to all members of the University of Lethbridge community where each accepts an individual and shared responsibility in growing a culture that is rich in the assessment , management and control of risk and safety.” - U of L Risk and Safety Services.

The Risk and Safety committee is aware of Lethbridge iGEM and of our project. They support our work as long as we follow the Laboratory Safety Guidelines outlined by Health Canada: Public Health Agency of Canada:

The potential harm of our system is that our system could escape into the purified water after wastewater treatment and tailings ponds, which could disrupt the ecosystem once the water is released back into the river.

Although our system could potentially escape into the environment if it is integrated into wastewater treatment, it is unlikely. This is because during the wastewater treatment steps, we would ensure UV disinfection. UV disinfection causes damage to genetic material, causing microbial inactivity, as the organisms cannot replicate. Even in the case that our organism escapes, it would be unlikely that it would cause detriment to the environment because we engineered them to be specific. Therefore, even if they were to escape, they would not survive for very long.