Team:HFLS ZhejiangUnited/Safety

Even well-equipped, state-of-the-art laboratories are not able to guarantee the success of scientific experiments; it also needs detailed operating procedures and safety instructions. Students are expected to strictly abide by the following laboratory regulations.

First one is about the provisions on clothing. We used EtBr for gel electrophoresis in our experiments. And EB, which are small molecules; easy to bind to DNA molecules; and absorbed through the skin; is biologically carcinogenic.

Therefore, in operation, each student is required to wear the lab protection suit. Items that placed in a room where the nucleic acid is preserved (including computers, etc.) And students must wear disposable plastic gloves to protect them from EB infection.

Second, there is a text reminder on the door of the laboratory room, posted with words "Cell carcinogens inside" and "Non-workers prohibited from entering." Students who enter and exit the nucleic acid electrophoresis laboratory must also need permission from the instructor.

Third, follow the specific operation sequence:

Disinfect hands and laboratory utensils with alcohol before the experiment. Some products, such as glass rods, should be re-confirmed with an open flame after disinfection. The alcohol lamps placed in specific positions.
After completing the above steps, the experiment will begin. When doing experiments on bacteria, it must be done in a clean bench.
The pipette tip and collection bottle are disposable items. After use, they are discarded in individual trash cans and not mixed with other garbage.

Fourth, laboratory safety rules are the following:

No food. Classmates must eat in the prescribed rest area.
Strictly distinguish between laboratory waste and domestic waste, which can be identified by the color of the trash can or by posting a prompt.
Do not place any sundries in the experimental area, or put personal items on the designated desk.
The experimental gun head, collection tube, PCR tube, etc. are used after high- temperature sterilization, and the pipette is disinfected with alcohol to ensure the accuracy and safety of the experiment.

Fifth: About the particular part of formaldehyde, Because we need to test different concentrations of formaldehyde solution after the construction completed, we need to meet with the following requirements in the process of operating formaldehyde:

The formaldehyde solution needs to be stored in a wine cabinet and managed.
Wear gloves, put on protective suits and wear safety masks when performing formaldehyde-related operations.
The fume hood needs to be kept open, and if you do not need the fume hood, you need to close the glass curtain.