The chassis used, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, is nontoxic and non-pathogenic.
None of the parts used produced toxic substances.
The project is designed to remove cyanobacteria in the least environmentally intrusive way.
The UV light used by wastewater treatment plants will kill C. reinhardtii, preventing any chance of it infiltrating the environment.
As another back up, further research into designing an auxotrophic strain of C. reinhardtii that is incapable of growing in the natural environment would be done before C. reinhardtii is implemented in wastewater treatment plants.
Lab Safety
All work done was in accordance with BSL1 and BSL2 safety standards.
All work was done in a controlled environment.
Ethanol sterilization and UV light were used to prevent contamination.
Gloves were always worn when working with live cells.
All members that worked in the lab took a lab safety class before starting work.
Detailed records were kept of C. reinhardtii.
When potentially dangerous chemicals were used, precautions were taken.