Biological and Chemical Safety in Research Laboratories

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Biological and Chemical Safety in Research
Laboratories

• Bill Coates
• Biological / Chemical Safety Officer
• Department of Environmental Health and Safety

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Biosafety
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Federal Regulatory Sources

• 29 CFR 1910.1450 OSHA
• 29 CFR 1910.1030 Bloodborne Pathogen
• 42 CFR 73 Select Agents
• NIH Guidelines for Research Involving
  Recombinant DNA Molecules
• CDCs Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical
  Laboratories (BMBL)

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Institutional Regulatory Sources

• IBC
• IRB
• IACUC
• Biological/Chemical Safety Office
• Fire Safety Office
• Radiation Safety Office

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BACKGROUND Introduction

• 1941 - Meyer and Eddie
• 74 lab associated brucellosis infections in US
• 1949 - Sulkin and Pike
• 222 viral infections (21 fatal)
• Only 27 related to known accidents

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BACKGROUND Introduction

• 1951, 1965, 1976 - Sulkin and Pike
• Surveys for lab-associated infections
• More than 5,000 labs
• Cumulative total of 3,921 cases cited
• Most commonly reported

• Hepatitis
• Tuberculosis
• Typhoid

• Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis
• Brucellosis
• Tularemia

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BACKGROUND Introduction

• 1951,1965, 1976 - Sulkin and Pike
• Fewer than 20 associated with known accidents
• Exposure to infectious aerosols plausible (but
  unconfirmed) for gt80 of reported cases

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ROUTES OF INFECTION

• Percutaneous (penetration through the skin)
• HIV
• Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C
• Ingestion (swallowed through the mouth into the
  stomach)
• Food poisoning ( E. coli, Hepatitis A Virus)
• Inhalation (breathing through the lungs)
• Brucellosis (caused by Brucella melitensis)
• Tuberculosis (caused by Mycobacterium
  tuberculosis)
• Direct Contact with Mucous membranes (eyes,
  nose, mouth)
• Any aerosol, splash or spatter of an infectious
  agent
• Direct Contact with Abraded Skin (absorption)
• Any contaminated liquid or body fluid

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Biosafety in Research

• Safe methods for managing infectious agents in
  the laboratory environment.
• The purpose of containment is to reduce or
  eliminate exposure of
• Laboratory workers
• Other persons
• Outside environment

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Risk Assessment

• Risk implies the probability that harm, or
  disease will occur.
• CDC/NIH, May 1999

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Risk Assessment

• Recognize
• Agents
• Evaluate
• Assessment
• Control
• Containment

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Risk Assessment

• RG1 - Agents that are not associated with disease
  in healthy humans
• RG2 - Agents that are associated with human
  disease which is rarely serious and for which
  preventive or therapeutic interventions are often
  available

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Risk Assessment

• RG3 - Agents that are associated with serious or
  lethal human disease for which preventive or
  therapeutic interventions may be available (high
  individual risk but low community risk)
• RG4 - Agents that are likely to cause serious or
  lethal human disease for which preventive or
  therapeutic interventions are not usually
  available (high individual and community risk)

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Principles of BiosafetySummary

• BSL 1-3
• Standard Practices
• Special Practices
• Safety Equipment (Primary Barriers)
• Laboratory Facilities (Secondary Barriers)
• Building (Tertiary Barriers)

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Principles of Biosafety Biosafety Levels

• Biosafety Levels 1-3 provide
• Increasing levels of personnel and environmental
  protection
• Guidelines for working safely in microbiological
  and biomedical laboratories

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Biosafety Levels

• BSL 1- work involving agents not known to cause
  disease in health adult humans and of minimal
  hazard to the environment
• BSL 2-work involving agents having moderate
  potential hazard to personnel and to the
  environment

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Biosafety Levels

• BSL 3- work involving indigenous or exotic agents
  which may cause serious or potentially lethal
  disease as a result of inhalation
• BSL 4-work involving dangerous and exotic agents
  that pose a high individual risk of aerosol
  transmitted infections and lethal disease

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Principles of Biosafety Laboratory Practice and
Technique

• Requirements
• Knowledgeable supervisor
• Personnel
• Aware of potential hazards
• Proficient in practices techniques
• Biosafety manual specific to lab