When most people think of E. coli, they automatically associate it with the infection - from eating uncooked meat or contaminated water. However, the strain used in labs is different from the strain that causes the infection, and is non-pathogenic. The BioBricks we create are not harmful or dangerous in any way, and all the chemicals and parts used to create them are safe as well. This year we've been focusing on also creating a working prototype. This brings with it a lot of safety concerns we have to consider. As we complete our working prototype, our main focus on safety will be including clear instructions and safety warnings to ensuring workers and customers know how to use the equipment. With our device we would include a precise and easy to use manual or data sheet explaining everything the average user needs to know about our project. It's also noteworthy that to render our experiments of our E. coli sterile, it takes nothing more than a minute in the microwave and a bit of bleach to kill off anything we grow or create.

In addition to that, as far as safety goes our project itself is a method of safety – the line between detecting contamination of crude oil in soil and water versus running the risk of contaminated crops or livestock. Our ECOS alginate beads are a buffer that can be used to ensure the safety of soil and water in both rural and urban situations (see Project tab for more info.)

One problem that was raised was if our E.coli would be able to escape our alginate beads and get into the environment, causing more problems than solutions. However, the alginate matrix is tight enough to not allow any E.coli out of the beads, while still open enough to allow the xylene to get in. This ensures that the E.coli does not escape from our alginate beads while still working properly.