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From 2010.igem.org

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Safety

Potential safety issues:

• The team worked with high levels of arsenic and gold in solution. The risk of harmful exposure to these heavy metals was mitigated by adhering to stringent lab safety techniques.
• When performing agarose gel electrophoresis, ethidium bromide was used to stain our gels so that bands of nucleic acid could be viewed under ultraviolet light. Ethidium bromide is a known carcinogen, so proper precaution was observed when handling it. For example, no team member ever handled the compound without gloves, and it was never mixed with the agarose solution until after it had cooled to the point that no vapor was emitted from the flask. Also, our stock of ethidium bromide was stored away from other frequently used materials and wrapped in aluminum foil.

Aspects of project that mitigate safety issues:

• The E.coli chassis used for our experimentation is not infectious.
• Our biological system does not produce any toxic substances.
• Experimentation took place in a BL2 laboratory, while our work only required the use of a BL1 lab.

Please use this page to answer the safety questions posed on the safety page.