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Team:Yale/Our Project/Safety
From 2010.igem.org
our project
safety
In our laboratory, all the normal safety precautions were taken for the course of our wetlab work. Normal protocols were observed for plasmid constructions, DNA amplification, digestions, and any outlined assays. These protocols accounted for any necessary safety procedures that would be expected in the course of work. However, outside these normal procedures, our procedure called for the bacterial production of hydrogen sulfide, which can be toxic in large quantities. To account for this acute production from bacterial colonies, our team took some additional safety precautions.
Safety Accounting for Production of Hydrogen Sulfide
We realize that hydrogen sulfide
(H2S) is dangerous and flammable.
We will have the MSDS posted at
all times.
To ensure that bacteria do not constitutively produce H2S, we will have our plasmid under control of an inducible promoter.
H2S production will be 'turned on' only in ventilated hoods. Goggles and gloves will be worn at all times when handling our bacteria.
Fortunately people can detect H2S as a rotten egg smell at 0.5 ppm (50% of people can detect it at 0.00047 ppm). The safe exposure limit of H2S is 8 ppm over two months.
