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EH&S Fact Sheet
No. 76
Created 04/01 /11
Environment, Health and Safety Information for the Berkeley Campus
Management of BSL 1
Recombinant DNA Waste
All BSL 1 recombinant DNA molecules must be disinfected prior to disposal unless
the waste is generated during an Exempt Experiment (described on the next page).
Waste from Exempt Experiments does not require disinfection or treatment prior to
disposal.
BSL 1 recombinant DNA waste that is not exempt must either be (1) disinfected by
the laboratory and disposed of in the trash or down the drain; OR (2) picked up by
Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) for disinfection at an off-site disposal facility
(i.e., treated as biohazardous waste). Examples of the various wastes and their appropriate treatment and disposal methods are provided below. Other disinfection methods will be reviewed by the EH&S Biosafety Officer on a case-by-case basis.
Examples of BSL1
recombinant
DNA that must
be autoclaved and
disposed of as trash
•
E-coli K-12, E-coli DH5@
• Yeast (Sacchromyces Cerevisciae)
• Drosophila cultures
• C. elegans
• Zebrafish
• Items such as pipettes, tubes, flasks and tips used with recombinant
DNA cultures, as well as paper items saturated with liquid recombinant
DNA cultures
These non-exempt BSL 1 wastes are segregated from the regular trash, placed in autoclave bags and autoclaved until disinfected. After the cycle, the bag may be disposed
of as regular trash.
Liquids - aspirated tissue culture media and other liquid waste generated from Risk
Group 1 recombinant DNA molecules must be disinfected with bleach and then drain
disposed.
Examples of
recombinant DNA
waste that must
be managed as
biohazardous waste
E H
& S
UC BERKELEY
Office of Environment, Health & Safety
University of California
317 University Hall #1150
Berkeley, CA 94720-1150
http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu
(510) 642-3073
•
•
•
Transgenic rodent carcasses
Needles, blades and scalpels (regulated sharps) involved in BSL 1
recombinant DNA experiments
Recombinant DNA waste that cannot be effectively disinfected
(because there is no autoclave or the autoclave is not functioning
properly, for example)
This waste must be placed in red biohazardous waste bags and sent off-site for treatment and disposal. Please read and understand our other fact sheets on how to properly store and dispose of biohazardous and sharps waste (including recombinant DNA
managed at BSL 2 or BSL 3): Biohazardous Waste Management and Sharps: Handling
and Disposal.
Fact Sheet: Management of BSL 1 Recombinant DNA Waste
Exempt
Experiments
(Section III-F
of the NIH
Guidelines)
Other Resources
Page 2 of 3
Recombinant DNA waste generated from “Exempt Experiments” can be placed
directly into the regular trash or down the drain without being autoclaved or
treated with a chemical disinfectant. To determine if an experiment is exempt,
the Committee for Laboratory and Environmental Biosafety (CLEB) will review
your submitted Biological Use Authorization (BUA) to verify that the research
experiment is in one of the following categories of recombinant DNA experiments. See flowchart on page 3 for the experiments that are considered to be
exempt under the Guidelines.
1. EH&S Fact Sheet “Sharps: Handling and Disposal”
2. EH&S Fact Sheet “Biohazardous Waste and Recombinant DNA Waste Management in Biosafety Level 2 and 3 Laboratories”
3. EH&S Fact Sheet “Working Safely with Autoclaves”
4. Biological Use Authorizations
5. NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules
E H
& S
UC BERKELEY
Office of Environment, Health & Safety • University of California • 317 University Hall #1150 • Berkeley, CA 94720-1150 • http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu • (510) 642-3073
Fact Sheet: Management of BSL 1 Recombinant DNA Waste
Page 3 of 3
Flow Chart
How to determine if your experiment is exempt from the NIH Guidelines
Is the recombinant DNA inserted in an organism?
No
I am using
Naked DNA
Yes
This experiment is exempt
(Section III-F-1)
What is the nature of the genes inserted?
Contains genes
from Risk Group
1-3 agents
Conveys antibiotic resistance which could
compromise medicine or agriculture
(Section III-A-1)
Non Exempt
Produce toxin molecule lethal for vertebrates
at LD50 less than 100 ng/kg body weight
(Section III-B-1)
Non Exempt
What is the host/vector used?
DNA from Risk Group 2,3 agents cloned into
non pathogenic
Prokaryotic or lower Eukaryotic system
(Section III-D-2)
Risk Group 2-3 agents as part of host/
vector system (Section III-D-1)
Exempt Experiments
All components
of recombinant
molecule are
from same
species. (Section
III-F-3,4)
All components
of recombinant
DNA molecule
are from species
that naturally
exchange DNA.
(Section III-F-5)
Host is non
pathogenic strain of
E. Coli K-12 or
Sacchromyces
cerevisciae with
non pathogenic
vector (Appendix C)
Non Exempt
Non Exempt