Team:NC School of Sci Math/Biosafety

Home Team Project Details Lab Notebook Results Human Impact Biosafety Acknowledgments Official Team Profile

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Lab Safety

• Completed Lab Orientation and Safety course at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Supervised at all times during bench-top lab work
• Standard PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) including gloves, aprons, and goggles were worn at all times in lab
• Lab Safety Manual was available at all times in lab

Biosafety

While the E. coli we created are genetically modified organisms, they do not pose a great threat to the environment, local or otherwise. The primary application for these bacteria is in closed, monitored systems, such as septic tanks, specific, isolated parts of water treatment plants, or in industry. In all of these settings, it is highly unlikely that the bacteria could ever escape a closed system. However, in the event that the bacteria were somehow removed from this setting and were allowed to grow freely, it is unlikely they could cause any harm. The bacteria are based on E. coli that are weakened to prevent survival in humans, as is common practice with genetically engineered E. coli. Because the only differences between these E. coli and benign E. coli bacteria are the fluorescent proteins, and they are weakened to prevent any potential colonization of humans or mammals, the traditional risk of a genetically modified organism is greatly diminished.