In the past couple of weeks I have noticed that many students (not only aptamer students) are not adherent to the previously established guidelines regarding sterile technique. Here are a few reminders:
1- Don't touch your "person" with your gloves on (this includes hair, clothes, skin)
2- Don't touch your "personal belongings" with your gloves (this includes phone, notebook)
This is important for your project because there are RNases everywhere -- if they interact with your "stuff" they will affect your results.
This is also important for yourself because there are toxins everywhere -- if you touch agarose (with ethidium bromide) or acrylamide with your gloves and then grab your phone you will take these toxins with you. Your hands might not currently be touching them but they will later on (imagine a little kid touching a toilet bowl and now washing his hands, he will carry his germs with him.)
4 comments:
Please start doing this! We haven't really called you guys out on this much, but it sets you up for poor bench technique in the future.
Yup - pay attention. You work with some nasty stuff, such as ethidium bromide, so it's best to use lots of common sense & just good lab practices.
We will start calling you out every time we see it. Cleanliness is the first rule of lab. Gloves are cheap, change them often. ALWAYS use them in the back of the room. EtBr isn't as bad as acrylamide transfer. And ethanol will really do a number on your phone. Protect yourself from the dangerous stuff and your reactions from the stuff that will poison them.
Also wash your hands before leaving lab.
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