Safety/Environmental Samples
Environmental Samples
More and more teams are working with samples from the environment (such as soil or water samples), the food industry (such as meat or blood from butchers) or other non-traditional suppliers. iGEM is keen to ensure that teams work with these samples safely and securely.
Unlike materials commonly available inside the laboratory (such as cell or tissue cultures, isolated biological agents, or laboratory bred animals) environmental samples have not undergone a risk assessment or been certified pathogen-free by supervisors, commercial suppliers, or institutional biosafety officers. Teams will need to think about possible risks from other types of samples.
Samples from people - even members of your team - are covered by iGEM's policy on human experimentation. Samples from vertebrates (e.g. rats, mice, guinea pigs, hamsters), or higher order invertebrates (e.g. cuttlefish, octopus, squid, lobster) - are covered by iGEM's policy on animal use.
Samples brought into the lab from outside could include pathogens, toxins or other risks to you, your colleagues, communities or the environment.
- There could be safety risks - for example there are common pathogens that can infect both animals and humans (zoonotic agents). Samples from animals, including those from butchers, might contain pathogens that could make you sick.
- There could also be security risks - many pathogens controlled because of their potential for misuse (such as those on export control lists, Select Agents in the US, or Schedule 5 agents in the UK) can also be found in nature. For example, a soil sample might include spores from Bacillus anthracis. It is possible that an environmental sample includes pathogens that would require you to take specific security precautions.
You must submit a Check-In Form before using any parts or organisms obtained from outside the lab or from non-traditional suppliers.
Samples from the environment, food industry or other non-traditional suppliers do not always require a check-in, but iGEM teams should assume these samples could include pathogens. As a result, they may not be on iGEM's White List and teams planning to use them may need to get permission from the Safety and Security Committee by submitting a Check-In Form before using these samples. Teams should pay particular attention to explaining the measures, procedures and practices they are using to identify any risks from the samples and how these risks are being managed.
- University of Hong Kong - Work with Potentially Infectious Samples including Blood, Blood Products, Human Tissues and other Clinical Specimens ⇗
- Rodriguez et al - Virus hazards from food, water and other contaminated environments ⇗, FEMS Microbiology Reviews, Volume 36, Issue 4, 1 July 2012, Pages 786–814
- Public Health England - Swabs and other environmental samples: detection and enumeration of bacteria ⇗
- Arizona State University - Safety Guidelines for Field Researchers ⇗
- University of Central Florida - Field Research Safety Guidelines ⇗
iGEM Foundation
The International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of synthetic biology, education and competition, and the development of an open community and collaboration. Visit us at igem.org
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