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Team:Tyngsboro MA Tigers/Safety
From 2012hs.igem.org
Safety
Each member of the Tyngsborough iGEM Tiger Squad has learned and currently follows the Flinn's scientific safety contract. Each year, we take a scientific safety refresher to brush up on our safety procedures. We were always supervised in our labs by our Team Leader, Ms. Ravgiala.
Environmental Dangers
With our device, the largest environmental concern is proper disposal of the bacteria themselves and the chemicals we were using. As we were never able to test our theoretical device, the concerns surrounding the use of carbon monoxide gas were not an issue. We were always careful to properly dispose of cell growth plates and microtubes, always letting them sit for 20 minutes in 10% bleach and sealing them properly. Chemicals that could be possibly considered dangerous were always used in a waste hood and disposed of properly in designated chemical waste containers.
Personal Safety Procedures
Our whole team was always supervised by an instructor, and wore gloves, goggles, and aprons. We used different antibiotics in our transformations, such as ampicillin, and were always very careful and handled them in the chemical safety hood.
Sterile Handling and Aseptic Techniques
When using the bacteria, we never re-used pipette tips or other transferal equipment that had a chance of contaminating the experiment. We wore gloves at all times when handling bacteria, and were certain to clean all equipment before and after use and kept all equipment sterile during lab procedures. All materials, whether they were reusable or being thrown out, were cleaned thoroughly and with bleach when applicable.
Lab Safety Extras
Click here for a [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOQAq4Nl4og link to a funny Youtube video] of what NOT to do in a lab setting. (All credit goes to the producer of the video Zach Lipovsky.)
Click here for the Safety Contract read and signed by all students.
Demonstrating Safety At iGEM
Ethanol
Before every lab, the lab tables are wiped down using 70% ethanol and paper towels.
Sterilized Materials
The cup contains bleach, which is where spreaders, pipet tips
and other used materials are put to safely dispose of them.
Using New Pipet Tips
Each pipet tip is only used once, and then is put in bleach.
New pipet tips are taken from the sterile container.
Personal Safety Precautions
When doing a lab, every team member wears gloves and goggles.
