Safety
All the organisms we use, such as the vectors we use and all the strains we use, are on the white list. And all of them will only have a positive impact on the environment. This will help us to protect the environment and to place it in nature in the future, which will only have a good impact. We are very strict in screening and testing the species we produce. We will only use it for industrial wastewater purification and will not use it for other purposes.
We will use all available methods to achieve our results and all laboratory products will not be released into nature before they are used and certified. And under no circumstances will they be released in any form. We will use our own methods to contribute to this goal. All products are finally inspected for destruction and final examination. For this purpose, we have special waste tanks and waste bins that are different from regular waste bins to achieve this.
All this is done with a strict sterilization process.
We use some of the white-listed vectors and strains in synthetic biology to achieve bioaugmentation of chemical wastewater pollution with engineered bacteria, which will not have a negative impact on the surrounding environment but will only have a positive effect on the environment. Our team is very strict about the use of engineered bacteria, we will only use engineered bacteria for remediation of wastewater pollution and not in other fields, so there will be no negative impact on other fields.
Laboratory Safety
All of our existing safety codes and standards of conduct are based on the most basic guidelines of the laboratory. We will have the best possible instructions and procedures in place to ensure that our experiments protect our environment and do not interfere with the natural environment. Finally, we will have experienced academics as role models to help us achieve this code.
In order to avoid contributing to the spread of COVID-19, we had sophisticated coordination with the laboratory and local authorities, and all our personnel followed local and national public health arrangements. We were quarantined upon our return to the Institute from the local provinces according to Institute guidelines. Thereafter, we maintained social distance and responsible interactions during our work in the laboratory, including wearing masks and frequent disinfection. We ensured strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocol followed by the Institute. To this end, we carry out very close checks plus protective measures. In particular, we place a high priority on protection in the laboratory.
Basic Safety Code
1. You need to wear protective gear such as gloves, masks, goggles, etc. to enter the laboratory.
2. Do not take protective gear out of the lab.
3. Do not take any biological samples, compounds, or instruments out of the laboratory.
4. Do not touch unknown liquids or instruments in the laboratory.
5. Do not eat, sleep, play, or make loud noises.
6. Chemicals need to be stored separately, such as dangerous chemicals will be put in an untouchable place
7. Acid and alkali burns need to be flushed with water, and can be neutralized with certain neutralizing substances if needed.
Waste disposal
1. Experimental waste and hazardous radioactive materials will be disposed of in the yellow garbage bin
2. Chemical waste liquids will be disposed of in waste tanks and then disposed of after special treatment, such as disinfection and chemically adjusted.
3. Biosolids/plastic waste is collected in red biohazard drums and autoclaved before being incinerated by an institution designated by the Institute.
4. Daily protective equipment, gloves, masks, etc. will be disposed of in the black trash.
Safety of instrument use
Ultra-clean table
1. need to turn off the UV, open the ventilation mode to work, and close it when you need to switch to UV mode
2. All items put in need to be disinfected with alcohol before work
3. The baffle needs to be maintained to cover the face
Centrifuge
1. Center leveling is required prior to centrifugation
2. Do not move the centrifuge during the centrifugation process
3. The centrifuge must be prevented from being placed on a smooth and stable platform
4. Need to tighten the lid and check before starting
Biosecurity
1. The use of organisms and genes will be on the white list and will not cause bad effects on humans and the environment
2. The results of the experiments must not be taken out of the laboratory and must not be brought to nature
Safety Promotion
Advocacy actions
Our team holds many events to promote the use of synthetic biology in daily life. For example, when we visit people about cadmium rice, we have some promotional effect to make more and more people know about cadmium rice and the role of our engineered bacteria.
Promotion results
At the same time, the promotional video of our engineered bacterium has gotten a few hits online, and so far, 241 people have retweeted our video. The number of tweets on our public website is also increasing, and about 314 people have read and learned about our biosynthetic-engineered bacteria.
Publicity Impact
Finally, we received many responses to the questionnaire we posted through WeChat. Although most of the people clearly said that they had never heard of cadmium hazards, it is encouraging that 72% of them said that they would pay attention to cadmium hazards in their lives in the future, and they would continue to learn about the progress of our engineered bacteria. We are very happy that more and more people are beginning to understand and accept synthetic biology through our publicity.
Summary
Our team is mainly composed of high school students. Therefore, the experiment was conducted under the guidance of a professor from Lanzhou University. Our professor believed that the safety of the experiment was the first priority, and he took many precautions before the experiment. For example, he required us to put on lab coats, masks and gloves before entering the lab. The professor gave us many details about how to use the equipment and instruments properly, for example, we needed to disinfect our hands with alcohol and dry them before the sterile procedure because if we were not careful to dry our hands, our hands could easily be burned by the fire of the alcohol burner. In addition, the professor's assistant would also assist us in the experiment. During the experiment, our team was divided into four groups, and each group had a supervisor to prevent hazards from happening. We can use the equipment and instruments properly to ensure our safety. When placing reagents by category, we do not need to ask where specific reagents and equipment are located. The efficiency of our lab was immediately transformed and our own safety was ensured because it prevented us from accidentally contaminating or inhaling specific reagents.
