Team:York/Safety
Lab Safety
Our work took place in the University of York's Project Labs in the Department of Biology, and the Optics Lab in the Department of Physics. The laboratory technicians responsible for these labs provided us with the appropriate safety training. Basic first aid kits were kept on hand in case of emergencies.
The University of York provides clear guidelines on the handling and use of various potentially hazardous materials common to lab work, which were referenced when we conducted our experiments. These guidelines can be accessed here.
- Laser
- UV
- Microorganisms
- Electronics
- Chemicals
- Phenol
- During our project, the use of phenol was unavoidable. To minimize the risks, only a few members with laboratory experience were allowed to work with phenol, while under the supervision of at least one other team member. Its use was restricted to a designated fume hood, while wearing the appropriate safety equipment. First aid equipment for phenol exposure, alongside training for its use, was provided by university staff.
- SYBR safe
- SYBR safe was used to stain DNA banding when performing gel electrophoresis, and was chosen due to its relatively low level of toxicity when compared to ethidium bromide. Its use was restricted to one area of the lab to prevent contamination, and gloves were worn while handling potentially contaminated materials.
A core component of our project, the DIHM, uses a class 2 laser. A class 2 laser, according to European and international standards, poses a negligible level of risk to human safety unless one deliberately stares into the beam. No safeguards are required for this class of laser, though we designed our hardware such that the laser points downwards - away from the user’s eyes. Further, we have labelled the DIHM as a class 2 laser to ensure it is used safely.
To visualise DNA banding on agarose gels, UV was used. The main UV transilluminator was housed in a shielded container, so there was no exposure during use.
A second, more portable device was also used. UV filtering goggles were worn during its use.
All organisms used were chosen due to their low pathogenic risk. They carry little to no risk to humans, animals, or plants.
The microorganisms we used have been listed below, and classified according to the Health and Safety Executive’s Approved List of Biological Agents (www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/misc208.pdf). Organisms are classified into groups 1-4, where 1 indicates it is unlikely to cause human disease, and 4 indicates organisms that can cause severe diseases with a high risk of spreading and no effective treatment.
| Organism | Classification Group |
|---|---|
| Chlamydomonas reinhardtii | N/A |
| Escherichia coli (DH5-alpha, BL21) | 2 |
| Galdieria sulphuraria | N/A |
| Saccharomyces cerevisiae | N/A |
| Staphylococcus aureus | 2 |
No data related to the following organisms has been displayed on the wiki, as we did not corroborate the results with a reliable control (as we did with the Countess II FL Automated Cell Counter in the measurements here). Regardless, we did perform measurements with these organisms and had to consider the correct safety procedures associated with working with them.
| Organism | Classification Group |
|---|---|
| Schizosaccharomyces pombe | N/A |
| Bacillus megaterium | N/A |
| Pseudomonas fluorescens | N/A |
| Micromonas pusilla | N/A |
| Micromonas commoda | N/A |
The QWACC hardware makes use of a Raspberry Pi, a Raspberry Pi Camera Module V2, and a small (3 V) motor to pump our sample. All these devices are designed to be used and handled as any typical home electronic device would be and, as such, pose little to no risk.
We also considered future safety risks. However, the QWACC hardware and analysis techniques carry no biosafety risks and have been designed to be used with the same level of precaution as any typical domestic electronic device.
