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Team:UCSF/Safety
From 2010.igem.org
Safety
The safety of the UCSF 2010 iGEM team, other scientists in the shared lab area, and environment has been a great concern for us throughout the project. This required extra precautions and training as our project used human cell lines which are handled under Biological Safety Level II (BSL2) guidelines. Before we were even allowed to enter the labspace, every member of the team was certified by UCSF’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) after completing the required lab safety training. We also received extra training on tissue culture guidelines, rules, and safety by Krista McNally who manages the Cell Propulsion Lab tissue culture facility. Throughout our project, we wore personal protective equipment (PPE) such as lab coats and gloves while working in the lab area and strongly adhered to the safety guidelines of the Office of EH&S. The DNA cloning and bacterial work was performed on the lab benches under Biological Safety Level I (BSL1) guidelines. A separate lab coat and new gloves were used when working in the tissue culture room to prevent cross contamination between the bio-hazard levels. Ethanol was used in the tissue culture room and on tables to kill any microbes that might be on the surfaces to prevent contamination. Dilute bleach (10% ) was also used to treat liquid cultures prior to disposal and solid materials were placed into bio-hazard bags in marked containers for disposal. We learned that being organized and cleaning up before and after procedures was a good safety practice that also assisted in keeping our cultures from being contaminated.
