Team:METU-Ankara/Safety

From 2011.igem.org



SAFETY

In this section we considered and searched possible risks, safety and security concerns related to synthetic biology and our project.By taking photos and preparing enjoyable questionnaire, we emphasized the biosafety rules in laboratory and by referring to the articles of the authorities in Turkey, we summarized biosafety rules for public and researcher security.

NEW SAFETY AND SECURITY QUESTIONS

1. Would the materials used in your project and/or your final product pose:

A. Risks to the safety and health of team members or others in the lab?

While in cloning steps the most dangerous material that we used is ethidium bromide which is used in agarose gel electrophoresis. Ethidium bromide is a potential mutagen because it works by inserting itself between the two strands of double-stranded DNA. Since the amount of ethidium bromide kept in our lab is relatively small, it does not pose devastating effects.However it is a toxic chemical, when got in contact, it causes eye and skin irritation. To prevent the damages that we would be face with, we wraped it with aluminium and put in brown bottle and wore gloves while using.

While device training experiments we used methane gas (CH4) and methanol (CH3OH). Methane is inactive biologically and essentially nontoxic.Methane is not listed in the IARC, NTP or by OSHA as a carcinogen or potential carcinogen. When inhaled in high concentrations, so as to exclude an adequate supply of oxygen to the lungs causes dizziness, deeper breathing due to air hunger, possible nausea and eventual unconsciousness. In case of protection, we progressed the steps with methane in glove boxes in order to provide the respiratory protection. The ventilation is supported by hood.However due to methane gas is potent for greenhouse effect while doing experiments we worked in a special hood system that has its own gas container for storage of gases is used. Thus, emission of methane gas is controlled. Later on, filled gas container is taken by department of chemistry to empty with certain procedures. And protective gloves and goggles are equiped.Out of the experiments for storage we saved the gas tank in are where is cool enough and never used open flames.REFERENCE: http://www.isocinfo.com/DocumentRoot/13/Methane.pdf . For the steps with methanol the characterization tests for LUSH protein, methanol is used. Methanol is hazardous in case of skin contact, eye contact, ingestion and inhalation. It is flammable liquid.The safety for this chemical is provided by experimenting in hood with high ventilation and and so much exposed because it pose a health risk to anyone in lab.

REFERENCE :

http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927227

http://www.ee.iitb.ac.in/~nanoe/msds/methanol.pdf

B. Risks to the safety and health of the general public if released by design or accident?

The materials mentioned in part a. could potentially be dangerous to the general public. We use just enough concentration for our experiments. We always check the amount both for methane and methanol and EtBr, because if accidentally released, they could be dangerous to us while experiments and to lab security.

C. Risks to environmental quality if released by design or accident?

Since methane is a gas at normal temperature and pressure, the inhalation of this gas pose a risk for human health and so for environmental quality. Methane is potent greenhouse gas and compared to carbon dioxide it has greater potential. This makes methane gas dangerous for environmental quality in case of release by accident or design.However, as mentioned in part a, we controlled the conditions for gas and examined in air ventilated glove boxes. Another material which could pose risk for environmental quality is methanol. This chemical is volatile and flammable liquid. When this chemical release near open flame it could result with harmful effects both for health and environment conditions.

D. Risks to security through malicious misuse by individuals, groups or states?

Only the methane gas has risks for security if reaches to malicious someone. Our group members have experience and training on gas used experiments and there is not possibility on misuse indeed malicious misuse.

E. Please explain your responses (whether yes or no) to these questions.

Specifically, are any parts or devices in your project associated with (or known to cause):

- pathogenicity, infectivity, or toxicity? No

- threats to environmental quality? Yes, methane gas(explained above)

- security concerns? No

There are no part on our experiments and our project that could be use as treat to environment or infect to human life as individually. Only one of the parts, subunit A of methane monooxygenase may pose a health risk while studying since it has the region where methane interacts and the conversion steps initialize.As host cell we have used E.coli BL21 (DE3) and Top10 strains, these strains are classified as hazard group 2 pathogen by the UK Advisory Committee on the Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP).

2. If your response to any of the questions above is yes:

A. Explain how you addressed these issues in project design and while conducting laboratory work.

Explained in each question above

B. Describe and document safety, security, health and/or environmental issues as you submit your parts to the Registry.

Explained in each question above

3. Under what biosafety provisions will / do you operate?

A. Does your institution have its own biosafety rules and if so what are they? Provide a link to them online if possible.

Yes, there is general laboratory biosafety rules for lab security and researcher security obeyed in Biology and Chemistry departments. In research laboratories the students are provided with general lab security and rules which are compilation of general and international procedures for individual safety. These procedures are the compilation of following links

http://oba.od.nih.gov/oba/rac/guidelines_02/NIH_Gdlnes_lnk_2002z.pdf


B. Does your institution have an Institutional Biosafety Committee or equivalent group? If yes, have you discussed your project with them? Describe any concerns or changes that were made based on this review.

Yes, there is biosafety and ethical research center in METU until 2000. This committee helds many conferences about ethics, environmental ethics in studies and the medicinal ethics based on human researchs. The below link belongs to this committee however in Turkish language.

http://www.ueam.metu.edu.tr

Indeed in Biology department at METU one of our professors, Prof.Dr Huseyin Avni Oktem is one of the members of National Biosafety Coordinating Committee. He is our pioneer for biosafety and security issues. We have consulted to him the critical safety points in our project and also discussed the project based on safety.

C. Will / did you receive any biosafety and/or lab training before beginning your project? If so, describe this training.

Before we begin to experiments, we firstly were taught on lab security by studying 'At the Bench A Laboratory Navigator, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press ' and 'Laboratory Biosafety Manual, WHO' and for personal safety for cases of individual injure, indeed in emergency situations we were told by instructors. This interval was training for us. Also team leaders, the experienced ones in team, prepared an exam for new team members as a part of training for general lab regulations and project details.

D. Does your country have national biosafety regulations or guidelines? If so, provide a link to them online if possible.

In Turkey, biosafety regulations are organized by the Biosafety Information Exchange Mechanism of Turkey, facility of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affair.

http://www.tbbdm.gov.tr/en/Home.aspx