"What I cannot create I do not understand." - Richard Feynmann
General Safety Considerations
Method of Safety evaluation
To manage the risks associated with our MicroBeacon CTC detection system we used the following scheme to evaluate possible adverse scenarios and the effectiveness of countermeasures:
Preventive measures can either serve to decrease the likelihood (x-axis) or the severity (y-axis) of a potential scenario or both.
Working at the ETH Zurich labs
Responsible conduct during everyday lab hours is parmount for the prevention of accidents. Every new person in the ETH D-BSSE lab must undergo safety training instructed by a Technical Manager. No exception was made for our iGEM team. Though much of it is common sense and our work was restricted to Biosafety Level 1, there is still a lot that can go wrong. Here are a few examples:
Possible Scenario
Risk
Countermeasures
Improved Risk
Accidental poisoning
E4
Wear lab coats and safety goggles at all times
Wear gloves, be concentrated and handle chemicals with extra care.
No smoking, eating or drinking is in the lab.
Chemicals have to be properly labelled.
Just in case save emergency numbers on your phone: Ambulance (144) and Center for Toxicology (145)
D1
My E. coli are on fire!
E4
Since we use Bunsen burners to create a semi-sterile working environment it is quite likely that something catches fire.
Keep flamable items (paper, cloth, flamable chemicals) away from the flame
Have a fire extinguisher ready and familiarize yourself with how to use it. If the fire is small, it is possible to use a fire blanket to cut off its oxygen supply. If it is difficult to isolate or if it is a chemical fire, then it is better to use a CO2 fire extinguisher.
Be aware of emergency exits
Keep doors closed: This allows for proper ventilation, can allow for the maintenance of negative pressure in labs that require it, and might be helpful in case of fire.
Save emergency numbers on your phone: Fire brigade (118) and Security center of the lab and surrounding industrial area (+41 44 342 11 88).
When working with open fire keep hair short or use a hair tie.
B1
I spilled and entire bottle of ethidium bromide on my lab coat!
D4
Wear lab coats and safety goggles at all times
Be concentrated and handle chemicals with extra care.
In case it still happens: Get out of the lab and take an emergency shower immediately.
Also take off potentially contaminated clothes.
C1
I forgot to put my goggles on and now I have sulphuric acid in my eye!
C5
Wear lab coats and safety goggles at all times
Be concentrated and handle chemicals with extra care.
In case it still happens: There are eye washers in every lab. The eye(s) should be washed for about ten minutes.
Visit a doctor afterwards to check the state of the eye(s) and to see if it suffered any damage.
B1
Dangerous equipment
E4
Centrifuge: must be always properly equilibrated. An unequilibrated centrifuge can be lethal if it dismantles at high speed.
Balance: must be kept clean at all times! No one wants to find a suspicious unknown powder spread all over the place.
D1
Handling genetically modified organisms
Since our MicroBeacon E. coli cells are genetically modified they might harbor a potential and unforseen risk to the environment. However, our MicroBeacons do not express any toxic substances and the fact that they prefer temperatures around 37 °C makes it unlikely that they survive for a long time when accidentally released.
We originally planned to have the MicroBeacons express TRAIL as a means to induce apoptosis in targeted cells. However, wie decided against this in order to minimize any potential health hazard.
Possible Scenario
Risk
Countermeasures
Improved Risk
E.coli infection
D3
Autoclave waste
Change gloves and wash hands frequently
Mimimize virulence: We originally planned to have the MicroBeacons express TRAIL as a means to induce apoptosis in targeted cells. However, wie decided against this in order to minimize any potential health hazard.
B1
E.coli released into environment
B5
Autoclave waste.
Change gloves and wash hands frequently.
Clean benches and floor, disinfect shoes after work.
B1
Using our MicroBeacon CTC detection system for medical diagnosis
It is never too early to think ahead what might happen if our MicroBeacon project is further developed and commercially used as a cancer diagnosis kit.
Since one component of the kit are live bacteria, one must be especially careful in a clinical environment. Cancer patients may have a compromised immune system already.
Possible Scenario
Risk
Countermeasures
Improved Risk
E.coli infection
E4
Keep MicroBeacons away from live patients: Collect blood sample and do the test experiment in a seperate room.
After use autoclave waste and destroy remaining blood sample or store in a safe container.
The test should be handled by trained medical personnel only.
Have suitable antibiotics ready.
C1
False positive test result
D4
Consider the ethical implications of diagnosing cancer metastasis in a healthy individual.
Discretion is advised until the finding is confirmed with an alternative test.
Carefully calibrate the test equipment and use fresh control samples.
Repeat the test multiple times.
Inform the patient about possible uncertainties of the test outcome.
D1
Production error
D5
On the side of the manufacturer: consider the finanial risk and possible damage to the company's reputation
Perform routine quality controls over the entire manufacturing process and at customer level.
Keep track of the sold devices with serial numbers and customer details. Recall faulty devices immediately if necessary.
Inform customers about unlikely but possible equipment failure. Replace faulty devices free of charge but reject legal liability with a disclaimer.
Offer sufficient online and hands-on support for customers.
