Team:AUC Turkey/Safety

Safety is of utmost importance in projects involving synthetic biology. Not only must the welfare of scientific and non-scientific staff within the department be considered, but also that of the wider community. Safety procedures have been prioritised from the beginning of our project and we have taken care to pick a project that poses minimal biosafety risks even in the event of accidental release from our laboratory.

1)Researcher Safety

Would the materials used in your project and/or your final product pose risks to the safety and health of team members or others in the lab?

Before beginning project:

• We took lab safety lessons.

Our instructors made a presentation on lab safety. Some of the instructions are listed below:

1)Lab coats should always be worn during experiments.
2)According to the experiment, gloves and protective glasses should be worn.
3)The lab coats and gloves used in the lab should not leave it.
4)All eating, drinking should be done out of the lab. Every food substance should stay out of the lab.
5)Broken and fractured material should not be used.
6)Tasting and smelling is strictly forbidden.
7)Scars and bruises should be covered with a bad-aid to prevent infections.
8)The lab enviroment should be as quiet as possible since concentration is essential in experiments.
9)All beakers and containers should be covered so that the substances in them do not get contaminated.
10)All solid substances should be taken with steril equipment. After this, the equipment should be washed.
11)Organic solvents should not be poured into the sink.
12)Substances containing toxic gas should be used in a fume hood.
13)UV projector should only be used while wearing protective glasses.

• We were keen on choosing a project with no harm.

E.coli are harmless bacteria. This property is one of the main factors of why E.coli are used in experiments. We also used E.coli for our safety.

When we look at FreshEcoli, the substances released show absolutely no toxicity. The substances produced by FreshEcoli are Trimethylamine, Geraniol and the enzyme FMO3. Trimethylamine gives out fish odor which is present in fish. Geraniol is the main aroma compound of the rose. FMO3 is the enzyme responsible for the conversion of trimethylamine in our body. When we look at these substances, we can see that they are already present in our bodies or the substances we consume. This fact proves that FreshEcoli are safe for laboratory enviroment and for experiments.

2)Enviromental Safety

3)Public Safety

<forum_subtle/>