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Team:Westminster/Safety
From 2012.igem.org
Use this page to answer the questions on the safety page.
1. Would any of your project ideas raise safety issues in terms of:
Researcher Safety
The University of Westminster have a full range of safety documents relating to all laboratory safety issues. Protocols range from the appropriate behaviour in the laboratory to the correct procedure for handling spills. In the three floors where the laboratories are located, by policy it is not allowed to consume any food or drinks as a safety measure. All laboratory users are required to use protective equipment when working in the laboratory, such as laboratory coats, eye protection and gloves, and laboratories are subject to on-the spot inspections to ensure that the policies laid out by the University are being adhered to.
All potentially hazardous materials are documented in COSHH forms (Microbial and Chemical) which the iGEM team are required to complete themselves. These COSHH forms are prominently displayed in the laboratory and are always carried with the researchers. We are using the DH5α strain of E. coli for amplification of our plasmids. This is a well-studied laboratory strain and is classed as Level 1.
All our experimental work is in the mammalian cell lines, MG63 and MCF7. MG63 is an osteosarcoma cell line (Level1) and MCF7 is a well characterised breast cancer cell commonly used as a tumor model system. Any risk due to contamination (bacterial, viral, prion) will be taken care of by following approved disposal protocols. Standard mammalian cell culture techniques are designed to minimise the risks of such contamination affecting users. Furthermore a strict- No White Lab Coats policy is in place when entering the mammalian cell culture laboratory.
All BioBrick parts created and used are non-hazardous as none of them produce toxic levels of substances. The parts we are producing are mammalian promoter sequences. They are amplified from the mammalian cell line, HeLa. Promoters produced are ALDH1A1, ALDH1A3, ALDH2 and ALDH3A1. None of these are harmful. Doxycycline-induced mammalian promoter is amplified from a plasmid and does not produce harmful products.
