Team:HSHL/Human Practices
Human Practices
At iGEM we believe societal considerations should be upfront and integrated throughout the design and execution of synthetic biology projects. “Human Practices” refers to iGEM teams’ efforts to actively consider how the world affects their work and the work affects the world. Through your Human Practices activities, your team should demonstrate how you have thought carefully and creatively about whether your project is responsible and good for the world. We invite you to explore issues relating (but not limited) to the ethics, safety, security, and sustainability of your project, and to show how this exploration feeds back into your project purpose, design and execution.
Interview with Mr. Leisner (LANUV)
Expert Interview with Mr. Leisner from the Ministry for Environment, Agriculture, Conservation and Consumer Protection (LANUV) of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany.
To get some more information about the contamination of the soil in Germany and how to deal with it, we talked to Mr. Leisner. Before working for LANUV he studied horticultural. He is now an expert for agrology/soil science and the filtration of heavy metals out of soil. Talking about our project, we were able to ask him some questions concerning to our project idea, how realizable it is and if there are other options or ideas to approach this problem.
Mr. Leisner, which kind of heavy metals are in the soil of agricultural fields in Germany, especially in our area?
Leisner: "In general, the contamination is getting higher as you get close to cities/industrial used areas. Due to the industry in the past 40-50 years and more and its dust pollution, you can find many heavy metals. But Cadmium and Lead are the most common ones, beside Zinc. But I have to say: Cadmium and Lead are more dangerous than Zinc because Zinc is not toxic for humans."
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