Genetic engineering and life sciences are safe activities when you follow simple guidelines. Read on to ensure you adopt safe practices, and find useful resources at the end of the post. 

Amino Labs kits contain only non-pathogenic components. These are part of the biosafety Risk Group 1 (RG1) or Biosafety Level 1 (BSL1). This is the most benign level and therefore the safest: with these kits, no special containment or training is required in North America. (Have a look at this post for more information on the bacteria used in Amino Labs' genetic engineering experiments).

But you must follow these safety guidelines for your safety and the success of your experiment(s)! We recommend the system and kits for ages 12+, under adult supervision, and 14+ with or without supervision. We recommend that an adult empties the discard container. The cleaning instructions must be strictly followed for safety and experiment success.

• Do not eat or drink near your experiments. Keep your experiment at least 10 feet from food, drinks, etc. Under no circumstances should you eat any of the kit’s content.
• Immunocompromised persons: While the ingredients in these kits are non-pathogenic, some persons, such as immunocompromised persons, can be affected by large numbers of bacteria and should talk to their doctor before doing any experiment.
• Wash your hands before and after manipulating your experiment, or the hardware.

• Wear gloves, even when cleaning your station or handling the kit contents (Petri plates, loops, etc). This will protect you from your experiment, and your experiment from you. Any latex, nitrile, or general-purpose gloves you can find at the pharmacy will do. After you put your gloves on, be aware of what you touch. Try not to touch your face, scratch itches with your gloved fingers!
• If using the DNA Playground or BioExplorer place it on a stable work surface. Keep it level at all times.
• Clean up your station, spills and work surface before and after use. Use a 10% solution of chlorinated bleach generously sprayed onto a paper towel and rub onto any contaminated surfaces. (Careful! This can discolour your clothes). A chlorinated spray cleaner also works.
• Find a container to hold the inactivation bag where you will discard used consumables. An old 1L yogurt container, large plastic cup or the like will do. Used consumables will be loops, any tube or used petri dish.
• Eye-wear is not provided but can be worn. 

Find these guidelines in a printer-friendly pdf here