Team:iTesla-SoundBio/Safety

Safety

While working in the laboratory, we made sure to strictly adhere to a number of safety protocols in order to eliminate all risk and make the process as safe as possible. The room itself was divided in half by a line; one half was kept free of any potentially hazardous materials. In the other, where the work took place, we made sure everyone followed a set of mandatory safety protocols. We required all members working in the lab to wear gloves and closed toes shoes, especially when dealing with chemicals to protect everyone from harm. We also had members tie their hair back to ensure that nothing got in the way. Finally, in order to prevent contamination of our sample and the spread of possible biohazards, we designated bins to dispose of waste as well as disinfected our working stations with 70% isopropyl alcohol.

In planning how to test the effectiveness of our enzyme in an aerobic environment, we decided we would substitute PCB’s in future experiments with the safer, less volatile compound TCE (trichloroethylene) based on the recommendations of Professor Joel Baker from UW Tacoma. Not only does it pose less risk, but it is also guaranteed to interact with the PCB-dechlorinating enzyme, since it has the same chlorine structure as PCBs.