Working with an animal model may result in environmental, social, ethical, and health issues. Some of the environmental issues include proper disposal of the rabbit, chicken, and surgical equipment. It is integral to follow lab protocol regarding waste disposal to avoid such problems. Additionally, social and ethical issues may include the use of animals for scientific experiments and confidentiality of our work to maintain intellectual property.

The most significant safety issues associated with this project fall under the lack of surgical experience in our team members when working with rabbit models. If this risk is not mitigated appropriately, it can threaten the safety of the team and lab members. To mitigate the safety issues brought on by the lack of surgical experience, the team practiced on a chicken model to study the key anatomical features of the knee capsule and perform procedures. Health issues that may result from this project include injuries from working with surgical tools or bloodborne pathogens when working with the animals. Another major risk includes the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic and the health dangers from a team member testing positive. To maintain the safety of the lab and the team, appropriate protocols must be followed.