{"id":35787,"date":"2024-05-20T09:10:35","date_gmt":"2024-05-20T16:10:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ehs\/?page_id=35787"},"modified":"2024-07-10T14:08:37","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T21:08:37","slug":"bio-safety-2","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/inside.ewu.edu\/ehs\/laboratories-and-shops\/laboratory-safety\/bio-safety-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Biological Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Biohazards<\/strong> are infectious or disease causing agents that can pose a threat to public health or the environment. They can include: bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites, allergens, cultured cells, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recombinant DNA (rDNA)<\/strong> is created by combining DNA sequences from separate organisms or portions of a genome that would not normally occur together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EWU Biosafety Manual.<\/strong> Please refer to this<\/a> document for information on the procedures, training requirements and regulations governing work with biohazards on the EWU campus.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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Biohazard Work in Progress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Anytime a lab is working with biohazardous materials they need to have a door sign alerting people to the hazards. This sign can either be posted continuously or only during times where biohazardous work is in progress.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Biohazard Work in Progress Door Sign<\/span><\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Topics on this page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Biosafety Cabinets<\/span><\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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\n\n<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Bloodborne Pathogens in the Workplace<\/span><\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
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\n\n<\/path><\/svg><\/span>Resources for Packaging Biomedical Wastes<\/span><\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\nBloodborne Pathogens in the Laboratory<\/a>\n\n\n\n
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Biosafety Cabinets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Biosafety Cabinets<\/a> (BSCs) are designed to protect the user, samples, and\/or the environment from contamination with biological materials.<\/strong> There are three classes of BSCs (Class I, II, III) which provide increasing levels of protection for the worker, samples, and environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Class I BSCs provide protection for the user and environment but not the sample.<\/strong> Samples may be contaminated as air is pulled from the laboratory environment over the sample and funneled through the back of the cabinet. They are suitable for work with low to moderate risk agents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Class II BSCs protect the user, sample, and environment.<\/strong> They are the primary class of BSC used. This class is divided up into several types based on the amount of air being drawn into the cabinet and how the air is exhausted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Class III BSCs<\/strong> are used for work with extremely hazardous substances<\/strong> found in Biosafety Level 4 laboratories.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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There are two other types of hoods found in laboratories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chemical Fume Hoods protect only the user. <\/strong>They are for use with chemical materials and should not be used for biological research. they are designed to pull air away from the user and vent it outside. They would protect the user from potentially infectious materials but would release those materials outside allowing for potential contamination of people as they enter\/exit the building. Chemical fume hoods provide no protection for the samples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laminar Flow Hoods protect only the material<\/strong>. They blow filtered air over the samples and out towards the user. Because anything in the sample is being pushed out to the user, these must never be used with potentially infectious materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n\n<\/path><\/svg><\/span>CDC – Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories<\/span><\/a>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n
\n\n<\/path><\/svg><\/span>4 Reasons NOT to use open flames in Biosafety Cabinets<\/span><\/a>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Bloodborne Pathogens<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP)<\/strong> are microorganisms in blood and Other Potentially Infectious Materials (OPIM) that can cause disease in humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A few examples of BBP are:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n