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Safety

Please visit the Safety Hub to find this year's safety requirements & deadlines, and to learn about safe & responsible research in iGEM.

On this page of your wiki, you should write about how you are addressing any safety issues in your project. The wiki is a place where you can go beyond the questions on the safety forms, and write about whatever safety topics are most interesting in your project. (You do not need to copy your safety forms onto this wiki page.)

Safe Project Design

Does your project include any safety features? Have you made certain decisions about the design to reduce risks? Write about them here! For example:

RAINmakers are employing 5-alpha competent E. coli cells (DH5-Alpha strain). According to the Globally Harmonized Systems (GHS), this organism is not a dangerous substance or mixture. Per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this organism can be handled at Biology Safety Level One (BSL-1). The CDC goes on to state that 5-alpha competent E. coli cells present no risk of disease in immunocompetent adult humans and no hazard to laboratory personnel and the environment. There are certain first aid measures that must be taken if the 5-alpha E. coli cells come in contact with lab personnel. If the cells come in contact with skin, washing with soap and water is sufficient. If there is eye contact, rising thoroughly with water for 15 minutes is imperative, as well as consultation of a physician. In the case of inhalation, exposure to fresh air is all that is necessary. All members of Tacoma RAINmakers are versed in these simple first aid measures. In the case of accidental release into the environment, cells should be soaked up with inert absorbent material, transferred to a properly labelled container, and disposed of as hazardous waste. Still, it is important to recall that this organism presents no environmental threat.

Safe Lab Work

What safety procedures do you use every day in the lab? Did you perform any unusual experiments, or face any unusual safety issues? Write about them here!

Pure arsenic is not only toxic to humans, but it can also be highly toxic to aquatic life with lasting environmental and ecological effects. Sigma Aldrich warns that arsenic may also cause cancer. To slightly nullify its negative effects, Tacoma RAINmakers used the sodium arsenate and sodium arsenite, which are the derivatives of arsenic that shows significantly less toxicity than the pure arsenic.

When using sodium arsenate/sodium arsenite, Tacoma RAINmakers are engaging in a series of stringent safety practices. First, safety glasses will always be used to protect eyes. For hand protection, our team will wear nitrile rubber gloves that equal or exceed required layer thickness (0.11mm). Contaminated gloves will be disposed of with proper glove removal technique (without touching glove's outer surface). To protect the body, our team will wear lab coats during all arsenic-related experiments. RAINmakers have considered air-purifying respirators, but have deemed this precaution unnecessary with proper lab technique that avoids aerosolizing. Additionally, all experiments involving arsenic will take place within a chemistry fume hood if any aerosolizing is to occur. Arsenic solutions or powder will not be allowed to enter drains or any location outside the lab.

Safe Shipment

Did you face any safety problems in sending your DNA parts to the Registry? How did you solve those problems?