Overview
- Are you working with recombinant or synthetic DNA, human cell lines, human body fluids, plant pathogen, animal pathogens, or human pathogens?
- I see you have __________, are you working with any microorganisms?
- Ex. Culture plates, spreaders, inoculation loops, etc.
- I see you have a gel electrophoresis rig, are you working with DNA, RNA or proteins?
- Is the DNA or RNA recombinant in nature?
- What are you using the Biosafety Cabinet or Laminar Flow Clean Bench for?
It is not your job to “grill” the lab occupants about what they are doing, simply record observations and ask simple questions about their research based on what you find in the lab. It might be as simple as the first question on the slide. Other useful questions are also listed.
You do not need to ask all of these questions, they are examples of how to inquire about unauthorized use of biological materials.
These questions will be more applicable to labs without a BIO permit rather than labs with existing BIO permits. You are not expected to be able to determine what materials a lab is approved for and those they are not approved to work with.