From 2010.igem.org

Revision as of 11:49, 14 October 2010

There are three main sections to the public information leaflet:

• explaining what the beads are and what they’re for;
• giving reassurance that they’re safe;
• providing useful and balanced sources for further reading.

this is a work in progress

Purpose

What are these beads?

They’re balls of gum in a hard shell that contain safe bacteria that change colour depending on the nutrients in the soil.

JUSTIFICATION
avoiding explicitly mentioning that the chassis is E.coli, (unless there’s space to have an ‘E.coli fact box’ explaining how it’s safe), to avoid association with the previous health scare of infections from petting zoos.

A search of the BBC News website for “E.coli” on 11/9/2010 presents these four headlines top:

“Health Protection Agency fined £25, 000 for E.coli spill”, 9 Jul 2010 82% relevance “Third case of E.coli bug at Cumbernauld nursery”, 4 Aug 2010 82% relevance “Two children at Cumbernauld nursery contract E.coli bug”, 3 Aug 2010 82% relevance “Death fear of Surrey petting farm E.coli outbreak boy”, 15 Jun 2010 82% relevance

To avoid patronizing readers, ‘safe bacteria’ is later expanded to explain the harmless strain that they’re based on.

How do they change colour?

Two naturally occurring genes have been added: one so the beads can sense nitrogen and the other so they change colour

What are they for?

These beads are an affordable way for small scale farmers to use precision farming: to only fertilise the bits of their land that need it

The beads are spread on freshly ploughed fields and left for a few days to change colour dependent on the nutrient content in the soil. Only bits of land that need it are then fertilised. The beads biodegrade after about a week.

JUSTIFICATION
being aimed at small scale farmers and emphasising affordability of the scheme is intended to draw attention to our beads complementing local enterprise. They are not intended to favour large farming operations or prevent competition. By their nature they need to be purchased every year so this does not have to be explained explicitly, avoiding previous large corporation image problems with suing farmers that retain their GM grain from year-to-year.

Biodegrading products are promoted heavily as environmentally friendly life choices. We will need to ensure that the definition of ‘biodegrading’ is in fact the process that our beads undergo when they break down.

Motivation: So they’re a way for farmers to save money?

Yes, but using less fertiliser is good for the environment. Fertiliser production and use are big contributors to pollution of waterways and carbon emissions.

Eutrophication is the process of excess nutrients running off agricultural land into the surrounding waterways. This for example causes algae to grow, suffocating other species and affecting biodiversity. At least 50% of nitrogen pollution is attributable to agricultural run off, which could be reduced if fertiliser was used more cleverly only where it’s needed.

Carbon savings: producing fertiliser is very inefficient and causes massive carbon emissions.

JUSTIFICATION
the agricultural industry is accused in many reports to be a big contributor to eutrophication and carbon emissions. Without claiming that our beads will solve pollution problems, it is justified to mention the positive effects of using less fertiliser, as this is already being promoted using other methods, such as GM crops that need less fertiliser.

Safety

If the beads contain modified bacteria, how do you know they’re safe and won’t contaminate the environment?

Limited modification: simple, harmless abilities are given to these bacteria: to sense nitrogen and to change colour.

Physical containment: the bacteria are contained within a casing that minimises escape. The ability to escape from the beads has been thoroughly tested, and those that do leak do not have a significant effect on the local environment: they are too weak to compete in the outside world and quickly die.

Thorough testing: (explanation of legal hurdles: Extensive laboratory and field testing, Approval process: DEFRA, EFSA, EC, member states, Purpose: for public and environmental safety and assessment of potential for misuse)

JUSTIFICATION

As found by Edinburgh 2009: “most people are concerned with the environmental and health effects of synthetic biology as well as unknown consequences of new technology”. Fears that our beads will contaminate the environment and cause human health problems need to be addressed.

By explaining features of the strain of E.coli used, we can demonstrate that they should not upset local ecosystems or pose a threat.

In addition, some facts about the process of authorisation for use can be presented, describing the thorough tests it has had to pass. As Calgary 2008 concluded “91.5% [of those surveyed] were in favour of regulation” – we can use this opportunity to communicate some of the controls in place.