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Revision as of 22:12, 19 August 2011

Safety

Safety to both scientists and the general public is of utmost importance to anyone working in the synthetic biology field. We stringently followed all relevant safety protocol as well as choosing the safest procedures and materials to work with.

Material Safety

Researcher Safety
Working in a laboratory has the potential to put researchers in danger if the proper safety measurements are not followed. To minimize this risk, researchers were trained in safe lab practices as described in the Biosafety Provisions section below. The chemicals we used that presented a potential threat to researcher safety were: ethidium bromide, for visualization during gel purification, and SU-8 photoresist and developer, in order to construct the mask used to make our microfluidic device.

• Ethidium bromide: All researchers were required to wear nitrile gloves when handling EtBr. After handling toxic chemicals, researchers were required to discard contaminated items, such as gloves, so as not to spread contamination. Gels containing EtBr were properly discarded in a biohazard bin. When viewing gels, exposure to UV light was minimized through the use of UV-protective safety masks covering the eyes and face. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927667 MSDS for Ethidium Bromide
• SU-8 developer and photoresist: During construction of our microfluidic mask in the clean room, SU-8 photoresist and SU-8 developer were handled in a ventilated hood. Researchers were required to wear gloves, lab coats, and safety goggles at all times. SU-8 photoresist and developer were discarded in the proper disposal containers. http://cnl.colorado.edu/cnl/images/MSDS/microchem su-8_resist.pdf MSDS for SU-8 resist http://www.ee.iitb.ac.in/~nanoe/msds/su8.pdf MSDS for SU-8 Developer
• Flammable liquids: Flammable chemicals were stored in the flammable closet and handled in a fume hood away from fire. Chemicals were disposed of in the proper receptacles according to Weill Hal's safety requirements. These included: Acetone and IPA, to rinse SU-8 developer, and ethanol, for sterilization and dilution of streptavidin coating reagents.

General safe lab practices were followed in order to ensure researcher safety. Researchers were required to wear nitrile gloves and close-toed shoes during all lab work.

Public Safety
It is a common misconception that bacterial strains used in research are dangerous to public health and safety. However, the bacteria we used, DH5a electrocompetent E. coli, are non-pathogenic and unlikely to survive outside of a laboratory setting. To insure minimal risk to public safety, bacteria were killed with 10% bleach before disposal. We perceive no potential threat to public safety from our project. The biochemical pathway we used converts tryptophan, a common amino acid found in many foods, to prodeoxyviolacein, a green pigment. Both chemicals and all intermediates are non-toxic and should present no threat to public health or safety.

Environmental Safety
Our E. coli lab strain is not able to survive outside the lab and were disposed of safely. Our project also poses no identifiable threat to environmental safety. All bio-hazardous chemicals were disposed of by following the proper regulations.

Security Risk
There are no real threats that can be created from our project since our final product is non-harmful. A person with malicious intent could possibly create a biochemical pathway that creates a harmful product but such technology is already widely known and out of our control.

Safety of BioBricks
None of the BioBricks submitted to the registry raised any safety issues. They are GFP, RFP VIOA, VIOB and VIOE attached to avitags. Our last BioBrick part causes cells to lyse in the precence of green light. This should not cause any safety concerns.

Biosafety Provisions

Biosafety Rules and Procedures
We complied with Weill hall’s safety requirements in gaining access to lab space, as well as in use of the lab. All safety information and procedures are linked on the main Weill safety page [http://blogs.cornell.edu/whfs/weill-hall-safety-links-and-information/ here].

Weill Hall Safety Personnel
Scott D. Emr is the director of Weill Hall which is the building our lab is located. There is also a Weill Hall Safety Committee. While we did not personally meet as a group with either groups, we talked Dr. Archer who is in charge of our particular lab space. She approved of our project and helped us with the safe construction of our microfluidic mask.

Safety Training We received safety training from two online courses that all members were required to pass in order to gain access to the building. These were Lab Safety and Chemical Waste Disposal. Also we received training from our lab instructor on basic safety issues such as waste disposal, use of the fuse hood, etc.