Rickus Lab Safety

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EMERGENCY CONTACTS

Purdue Emergency Contacts

Prof. Rickus 494-1197

Important Safety Information Links

Purdue Biological Safety Manual

On-line Biological Safety Training

Handling Human Cell Lines

Purdue Chemical Hygiene Plan

Bindley Bioscience Center Building Policies

Purdue REM Laser Safety

Initial Safety Requirement for New Lab Members

All new lab members must:

1. Read the Purdue Chemical Hygiene Plan
2. Sign the Chemical Hygiene Awareness Certificate. Turn in to Dr. Rickus
3. Read the Purdue Biological Safety Manual
4. Familiarize themselves with the Specific Safety Notes below for the areas in which they will be working
5. Take note of the Hazard Assessment Sheet on the door of your work area
6. Locate the MSDS books in your work area
7. Document their training on the wiki Safety Training Log

If you will be handling or working around biological samples. You must

1. Complete the on-line Biological Safety Training
2. Familiarize yourself with the Bindley Bioscience Center Policies
3. Discuss any particular hazards and the safety level of your work with Dr. Rickus
4. Complete and sign the biological safety training certificate. Turn in the form to Dr. Rickus.

If you will be working with or around human cell lines (such as the Caco-2 cells) you must:

1. Read the Handling Human Cell Lines presentation

Special Safety Notes of Particular Relevance to the Rickus Lab

general lab handling

1. Birck Nanotechnology Center. Absolutely NO biological materials are to enter Birck without explicit permission. To obtain permission and policies, please see Lisa Reece in the Molecular Cytometry Labs. lreece@purdue.edu
2. Dry Ice. Many of our incoming shipments will arrive packed in dry ice. Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide. Dry ice is extremely cold. Special care should be taken. Use insulated gloves to handle the dry ice. In addition, dry ice required good ventilation in the room. The solid CO2 will sublimate into gaseous CO2 which can fill a closed space and result in suffication.

Biomolecules Lab, Bindley Room 234

1. piranha solution. This solution is commonly used in the biopolymer chemical area to clean residual organics off of glass slides. It consists of sulfuric acid and H2O2 at a 3:1 ratio. It is a strong oxidizer. Do not handle pirahna unless you have been properly trained by Dr. Rickus. Some special safety notes regarding pirhana: Always prepare in the hood, with proper gloves, goggles, and lab coat. Piranha can cause severe burns. Never mix with organic solvents. Reactions are extremely exothermic. Piranha should not be stored. Make solutions fresh. Never seal in a closed container; explosions are possible. It should be used for removing only residual and trace levels of organic contamination. There are forceps and beakers that are set aside for use of piranha solution. Please do not use these materials for any other use!!!

Links to other university safety information regarding piranha. Princeton EHS U. of Maryland Tufts

Cell Culture Lab, Bindley Room 158

1. Cell Lines. Currently all cells in 158 are Biosafety Level 1 (BSL1) cells. Please note that waste generated from BSL1 culture is treated as "look-a-like" waste, but it not a biohazard. Please do not use red autoclave bags or biohazard labels on BSL1 waste.
2. Gas Cylinders Gad cylinders can serve as projectiles if damaged or knocked over. All cylinders must be properly secured using a chain or a strap. In addition, all cylinders must be either capped during storage or have a regulator during use. There should not be any uncapped cylinders in the lab or storage areas. If you need to handle gas cylinders, you must go through REM training.
3. Liquid Nitrogen

The Dog House, Bindley Room 152

1. Nitric Oxide Nitric Oxide (NO) is a Class A dangerous gas which could be inhaled without any obvious external indications (i.e. you might not know it). Nitric oxide can be directly toxic to blood, lungs, nervous system, pancreas and skin. NEVER intentionally inhale NO. NO should not be confused with the "laughing gas", nitrous oxide N2O, that you get at the dentist!
2. Laboratory Scale Please be sure to clean up the scale after use. This includes washing the weighing utensils, brushing off any spilled chemicals, and using a wet paper towel, if necessary.
3. pH Meter Please read and understand the instructions prior to use. If you are unsure of how to PROPERLY use the meter, please ask for assistance. We have recently had to purchase a new pH probe due to misuse.

The Dungeon, Bindley Room B025

1. Class IIIb lasers. Lasers are used in B025. You must head all posted signage regarding lasers. You must be trained and certified to use the lasers. No untrained personnel should touch an laser equipment. Please read the laser safety information provided by REM. Purdue Laser Safety
2. Gas Cylinders Gad cylinders can serve as projectiles if damaged or knocked over. All cylinders must be properly secured using a chain or a strap. In addition, all cylinders must be either capped during storage or have a regulator during use. There should not be any uncapped cylinders in the lab or storage areas.
3. Biological Organisms. A range of biological samples including bacteria, biofilms, and mammalian cells lines are used (but not cultured) in B025. If you are working in this area you should read the biological safety handbook and heed all signage and biohazard labels. This reality also means that cross contamination between cells samples is possible. B025 should be regarded as a "terminal experiment" location. Cell cultures should generally not be returned to culture.

Safety Training Log

Current Students

• Tom Moffitt (joined September 2007)

1. Read chemical hygiene plan

• Subhashree Mohanty, MS student (joined Jan 2007)

• Carmen (Shuai) Zhang, MS student

• Craig Barcus, BS / MS student

1. Read Chemical Hygiene Plan (May 2008)
2. Read Purdue Biological Safety Manual (May 2008)
3. Read Purdue Online Biological Safety Training (May 2008)
4. Read Purdue Handling Human Cell Lines (May 2008)
5. Read Bindley Bioscience Center Policies (May 2008)

• Alexander DiMauro, MS student (joined June 2007)

1. read chemical hygiene plan (June 2006, June 2007)
2. REM chem safety training (June 2006)
3. REM laser safety training (July 2006)
4. REM radioactive materials safety training (July 2006)
5. read biological safety manual (June 2007)
6. REM bloodborne pathogens training (6/15/07)

Former Students

• Sue Zhao, PhD student (joined lab summer 2003)

• Sabrina Jedlicka, PhD student (joined lab 8/04)

1. chemical hygiene
2. Summer 2006, attended BME Safety Training

• John Koehler, MS student (joined lab 5/05

1. 6/05 read chemical hygiene plan
2. 6/05 PPE training

• Meghan Floyd (joined lab 10/04)

1. 6/06 read chemical hygiene plan, read biosafety awareness presentation
2. Fall 2006, attended FS annual safety training
3. Summer 2006, attended SURF safety training

• Christina Matson, BME REU student (joined 6/05, left 8/05)

1. 6/9/05 REU, chemical hygiene training, read plan
2. 6/9/05 REU, PPE training