Our project focused on the global issue of bacterial infections in plants, more specifically the bacteria known as Erwinia amylovora. Many parts of this project included risks, especially because we were working with bacteria and bacteriophage. We were able to control the risks involved with this project by first creating a risk assessment.
This risk assessment included identifying any factors that may affect human health, wildlife, and the environment. We then judged each risk based on what its negative impact could be.
The USA is quite tolerant of the use of biotechnology, but the implementation of synthetically engineered bacteria in our ecosystem is still quite frowned upon by many people. In our interview with Carol Bornstein, a horticulture expert at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles, she expressed that many experts avoid the use of biotechnology on plants, especially when it comes to crops used for sale. There would have to be many legal obstacles that would need to be tackled in order to implement our project in the real world. For example, farmers would have to be trained on how to use the bacteriophage properly, in order to avoid any external contamination to either the environment or humans.
Secondly, farms that would implement our idea would have to disclose to customers that synthetically engineered organisms are being used as pesticides on the plants that they grow. The project would also have to be approved by the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) since our bacteriophage pesticide would potentially be used on plants that grow food consumed by humans.
In order to ensure the safety of the team within the workplace and laboratory we created a strong culture of prevention. This was done by conducting safety workshops for new team members to equip them with the necessary skills for participating in experiments at the beginning of the cycle.
We also only allowed a few more experienced members to engage in laboratory work in order to ensure that the qualifications to handle materials safely and are up to par and to ensure that they are well-prepared to manage potential risk situations associated with project development.
Finally, in order to ensure the welfare of the community, we isolated genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and their genetic material and abstained from the use of any pathogenic genes or species that could pose risks to humans, animals, or plants.
It's essential to prevent bacteria from being released into the environment, which is achieved by employing appropriate laboratory techniques, in the usage and disposal of these bacteria and bacteriophage. Our end product will also ensure that when the bacteriophage is introduced into the environment, individuals operating the genetically modified organisms are knowledgeable about its safe usage, which reduces potential risks. Although there is some risk associated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria like E. coli (DH5 Alpha), we take stringent measures to prevent their release into the environment.
In order to ensure the correct utilization of laboratory equipment all lab members made sure to adhere to established scientific protocols. All of these protocols were checked beforehand by Ph.D. students and our lab instructor. Opting for safer alternatives in experiments was always encouraged, but in cases where safer alternatives were not viable, all members took comprehensive preventive measures to mitigate any potential harmful effects caused by the materials.
Contaminated solid waste, such as disposable plastics, were all disposed of in the correct biohazard waste bins. In the event of accidental spillages, or after using a workspace in the lab a 10% Ethanol disinfectant was employed for cleanup. Sharp materials were all disposed of in specially designated bins for sharp waste and are also handled by a registered waste disposal team which is contracted by the University of Southern California in order to ensure proper disposal.