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• Laboratory biosafety and biosecurity trace their history in North America and Western Europe.
• WHO categorized laboratories into biosafety levels.
• CWA - 15793: 2008 is the code of practice for biosafety.
• CDC recommends an agent risk group classification for laboratory use that describes four general risk groups based on principal characteristics and relative hazards posted by infectious toxins or agents.
• There are different organizations in the field of biosafety.
• In 1943, the origins of Biosafety are rooted in the US Biological Weapons program as ordered by the US President Franklin Roosevelt and was active during the Cold War.
• Ira L. Baldwin became the first scientific director of Camp Detrick.
• In 1969, President Richard Nixon terminated the US Biological Weapons program.
• Newell A. Johnson designed modifications for biosafety at Camp Detrick.
• American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) was formed in 1984.
• Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) is the code of practice for biosafety, addressing the safe handling and containment of infectious microorganisms and hazardous biological materials.
• Risk Group 1 microorganisms are unlikely to cause human or animal disease and pose a low individual and community risk.
• Philippine Biosafety and Biosecurity Association (PhBBA) aims to assist the DA and DOH in their efforts to create a national policy and implement plan for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity.
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infective microorganisms are classified into four risk groups based on principal characteristics and relative hazards posted by infectious toxins or agents.
• Biosafety refers to the containment principles, technologies, and practices implemented to prevent unintentional exposure to pathogens and toxins, or their unintentional release.
• CWA - 15793:2008 Laboratory Biorisk Management Standard is the first internationally recognized management standard to specifically address hazards associated with microbiological laboratories at all containment levels.
• Biosecurity refers to the protection, control and accountability for valuable biological materials within laboratories, in order to prevent their unauthorized access, loss, theft, misuse, diversion or intentional release.
• Biological Risk Association Philippines (BRAP) is a non-government association that works to serve the emergent concerns of biological risk management in various professional fields such as in the health, agriculture, and technology sectors throughout the country.
• Risk Group 2 microorganisms are unlikely to pose a significant risk to laboratory workers and the community, livestock, or the environment.
• European Biological Safety Association (EBSA) was founded on June 1996 with the aim to provide a forum for discussions and debates on issues of concern and to represent those working in the field of Biosafety.
• The universal biological hazard symbol, created by the environmental health engineer, Charles Baldwin, is used in labelling biological materials carrying significant health risks.
• In 1907 and 1908, Arnold Wedum described the use of Mechanical Pipettors to prevent laboratory-acquired infections.
• In 1909, a pharmaceutical company in Pennsylvania developed a ventilated cabinet to prevent infection from mycobacterium tuberculosis.
• In 1967, Mortality and morbidity increased due to small pox.
• Serious concerns about biosafety practices worldwide were raised, contributing directly to the decision of the World Health Assembly to consolidate the remaining virus stocks into two locations: the Center for disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US and State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology Vector (SRCVB VECTOR) in Russia.
• Marburg and Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever are examples of dangerous and exotic agents that pose high individual risks of life-threatening diseases that may be transmitted via the aerosol route, for which there are no available vaccines or treatment.
• Laboratory staff must have specific and thorough training in handling extremely hazardous infectious agents.
• Biosafety Level 4 (BSL-4) is required for work with dangerous and exotic agents that pose high individual risks of life-threatening diseases that may be transmitted via the aerosol route, for which there are no available vaccines or treatment.
• Personnel must be supervised by scientist competent in handling infectious agents and associated procedures in a BSL-3 laboratory.
• The laboratory worker’s complete isolation from aerosolized infectious materials is accomplished primarily by working in a Class III biosafety cabinet or in a full body, air-supplies positive-pressure personnel suit.
• BSL-4 laboratory is generally a separated building or completely isolated zone with specialized ventilation requirements and waste management systems.
• Secondary barriers for this level are highly required including controlled access to the laboratory and ventilation requirements to minimize the release of infectious aerosols from the laboratory.
• All Laboratory activities are required to be performed in a biosafety cabinet or other containment equipment like gas-tight aerosol generation chamber.
• In 1974, CDC published the Classification of Etiological Agents on the Basis of Hazard.
• This level observes practices, equipment, and facility design that are applicable to clinical, diagnostic, and teaching laboratories, consequently observing good microbiological techniques.
• Effective treatment and preventive measures are usually not available for these microorganisms.
• Moderate individual and community risk is associated with laboratory exposure to certain microorganisms, which may cause infection and have effective treatment and preventive measures available.
• Biosafety Level 2 (BSL - 2) is designed for laboratories that deal with indigenous moderate-risk agents present in the community.
• Biosafety Level 3 (BSL - 3) puts emphasis on primary and secondary barriers in the protection of the personnel, the community and the environment from infectious aerosol exposure.
• Examples of microorganisms at Biosafety Level 1 include Bacillus subtilis, Naegleria gruberi, and Infectious canine hepatitis virus.