Experiment 2- Lab Safety Part C

Lab Clean-up and Disposal

• If a spill occurs, consult the MSDS to determine how to clean it up.

• Never pick up broken glassware with your hands. Use a broom and a dustpan and discard in a safe area.

• Do not use any part of the lab kit as a container for food.

• Safely dispose of chemicals. If there are any special requirements for disposal, it will be noted in the lab manual. See below.

• When finished, wash hands and lab equipment thoroughly with soap and water.

Above all, use common sense! Read the manual carefully and pay close attention to the safety concerns prior to starting an experiment.

Microorganism Disposal Requirements

  • You will work with a variety of microorganisms throughout this lab kit. Cautious safety measures have been put in place to ensure that your safety is maintained. Additionally, you are responsible for carrying out proper disposal techniques at the end of each lab. Generally, this requires you to flood any petri plates with a bleach solution and then sealing them with Parafilm™.
  • Bleach should be purchased as soon as possible to ensure that you have it available at all times.Bleach is available at most drug or grocery stores, and typically costs $2 - 4. You will need a minimum of 30 ounces of a 10% concentrated solution. If your solution has a higher bleach concentration,you can dilute the solution using water; just be sure to maintain a 10% concentration base.
  • Be sure to rinse the bleach down the drain with running water to avoid any plumbing concerns.
  • After bleaching, you will seal the plates or containers with Parafilm™ and dispose of them in the trash. Standard trash receptacles are suitable for this, but please exercise caution if you live in an environment with animals or children and ensure that they do not re-open or crack the containers.

 Hazardous Waste Disposal Requirements

  • The majority of the chemicals used in this kit can be safely disposed of down the drain. However, there are several chemicals required for staining microorganisms that must be disposed of with additional care.
  • These chemicals include: Crystal Violet, Gram Decolorizer, and Safranin. These chemicals are all classified by the EPA under code D001: Ignitable hazardous waste. This is due to the alcohol concentration present in each solution. Local disposal requirements may vary.
  • Therefore, please contact your state hazardous waste authority to determine what steps are needed to safely dispose of these chemicals. A library of each state’s contact information can be found at the following website: http://www.epa.gov/osw/wyl/stateprograms.htm Links to an external site.

 

Isopropyl Alcohol

  • A combination of alcohol immersion and candle flames are used for sterilization and staining purposes.
  • Due to the high volume of alcohol required, you will need to purchase one bottle of isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) prior to starting your lab experiments.Isopropyl alcohol can typically be purchased at a grocery or drug store. One 16 ounce bottle is sufficient. This will cost approximately $2.
  • Isopropyl alcohol may also be required as a chemical ingredient during some of your experiments.
  • You can use your purchased bottle of isopropyl alcohol for these procedures as well.
  • Alcohol bottles should always be placed away from open flames. If you have any questions about the bleach or alcohol purchases please email eScience Labs at info@esciencelabs.com or call 888-ESL-KITS.

 

Sterile Technique

  • Microbiologists must be extra diligent about using sterile techniques to ensure that equipment does not become contaminated. In particular, petri dish packages must be opened and closed with careto prevent airborne contaminants from settling onto a dish.
  • Therefore, you must seal the petri dish packages with tape every time you close a package of dishes. More information about how to keep a petri dish package sterile can be found by logging on to the eScience Labs Student Portal at www.esciencelabs.com/portal and selecting the microbiology lab kit.
  • In addition to this, it is important to store your kit materials in the kit box. This further prevents any surface or airborne contaminants from compromising your equipment’s sterility.

 

 MSDS

  • The MSDS for every chemical in this kit is provided at www.esciencelabs.com/educators/msds.
  • eScience Labs highly recommends that you download and print all of the MSDS prior to starting your experiments. By doing so, you will ensure that you have all of the safety and cleanup information you need should you spill or encounter an accident during an experiment.