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49-521: A biosafety level ( BSL ), or pathogen/protection level , is a set of biocontainment precautions required to isolate dangerous biological agents in an enclosed laboratory facility. The levels of containment range from the lowest biosafety level 1 (BSL-1) to the highest at level 4 (BSL-4). In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have specified these levels in

98-444: A Category V body, must be curated at facilities rated BSL-4. Because the existing BSL-4 facilities in the world do not provide the level of cleanliness needed for such pristine samples, there is a need to design a facility dedicated to curation of restricted (potentially biohazardous ) extraterrestrial materials . The systems of such facilities must be able to contain unknown biohazards, as the size of any putative alien microorganism

147-450: A class III biosafety cabinet . Materials leaving the cabinet must be decontaminated by passing through an autoclave or a tank of disinfectant . The cabinets themselves are required to have seamless edges to allow easy cleaning. Also, the cabinet and all materials within must be free of sharp edges to reduce the risk of damage to the gloves. In a protective-suit lab, all work must be done in a class II biosafety cabinet by personnel wearing

196-870: A directive . Today, guiding publications for biosafety and containment in the US are set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Since 1984, the CDC and the NIH have jointly authored the Biosafety in Microbiological and Medical Laboratories ( BMBL ). The BMBL is an advisory document providing national recommedations for Biosafety Levels , Containment, Decontamination and Disinfection , Transportation, and Disposal of biohazardous agents. In Canada

245-511: A positive pressure suit . To exit a BSL-4 lab, personnel must pass through a chemical shower for decontamination, then a room for removing the positive-pressure suit, followed by a personal shower. Entry into the BSL-4 lab is restricted to trained and authorized individuals, and all persons entering and exiting the lab must be recorded. As with BSL-3 laboratories, BSL-4 labs must be separated from areas that receive unrestricted traffic. Also, airflow

294-496: A facility which cares for vulnerable animals) would require BSL-3 conditions. Biosafety level 3 is appropriate for work involving microbes which can cause serious and potentially lethal disease via the inhalation route. This type of work can be done in clinical, diagnostic, teaching, research, or production facilities. Here, the precautions undertaken in BSL-1 and BSL-2 labs are followed, as well as additional measures including: Also,

343-461: A military base at its premises. At the time, the facility contained organisms rated at BSL-2. Biosafety level 1 (BSL-1) is suitable for work with well-characterized agents which do not cause disease in healthy humans. In general, these agents should pose minimal potential hazard to laboratory personnel and the environment. At this level, precautions are limited relative to other levels. Laboratory personnel must wash their hands upon entering and exiting

392-780: A publication referred to as BMBL. In the European Union , the same biosafety levels are defined in a directive . In Canada the four levels are known as Containment Levels. Facilities with these designations are also sometimes given as P1 through P4 (for pathogen or protection level), as in the term P3 laboratory . At the lowest level of biosafety, precautions may consist of regular hand-washing and minimal protective equipment. At higher biosafety levels, precautions may include airflow systems, multiple containment rooms, sealed containers, positive pressure personnel suits , established protocols for all procedures, extensive personnel training, and high levels of security to control access to

441-610: Is obtained either to confirm continued work at this level, or to permit working with them at a lower level. This level is also used for work with smallpox virus, though this work is only performed at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, United States, and the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology in Koltsovo, Russia. Sample-return missions that bring back to Earth, samples from

490-554: Is only required for circumstances where personnel might be exposed to hazardous material. BSL-1 laboratories must have a door which can be closed to limit access to the lab. However, it is not necessary for BSL-1 labs to be isolated from the general building. This level of biosafety is appropriate for work with several kinds of microorganisms including non-pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus , Bacillus subtilis , Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other organisms not suspected to contribute to human disease. Due to

539-502: Is recommended for the staff to become proficient and accustomed to the facilities. According to a U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published on 4 October 2007, a total of 1,356 CDC/USDA registered BSL-3 facilities were identified throughout the United States. Approximately 36% of these laboratories are located in academia. 15 BSL-4 facilities were identified in the U.S. in 2007, including nine at federal labs. As of May 2021, there are 42 BSL-4 facilities in operation around

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588-403: Is the highest level of biosafety precautions, and is appropriate for work with agents that could easily be aerosol-transmitted within the laboratory and cause severe to fatal disease in humans for which there are no available vaccines or treatments. BSL-4 labs are generally set up to be either cabinet laboratories or protective-suit laboratories. In cabinet laboratories, all work must be done within

637-414: Is the level of the biocontainment precautions required to isolate dangerous biological agents in an enclosed laboratory facility. The levels of containment range from the lowest biosafety level 1 (BSL-1) to the highest at level 4 (BSL-4). In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have specified these levels. In the European Union , the same biosafety levels are defined in

686-401: Is tightly controlled to ensure that air always flows from "clean" areas of the lab to areas where work with infectious agents is being performed. The entrance to the BSL-4 lab must also employ airlocks to minimize the possibility that aerosols from the lab could be removed from the lab. All laboratory waste, including filtered air, water, and trash must also be decontaminated before it can leave

735-532: Is unknown. Ideally, it should filter particles down to 10 nanometers , and release of a particle 50 nanometers or larger is unacceptable under any circumstance. Because NASA and ESA are collaborating on the Mars Sample Return campaign, due to return samples from Mars in the early 2030s, the need for a Sample Receiving Facility (SRF) is becoming more pressing. An SRF is expected to take 7 to 10 years from design to completion, and an additional two years

784-593: The CSIRO 's Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL) if he could have the newly released United States' National Institutes of Health and the British equivalent requirements for the development of infrastructure for bio-containment reviewed by AAHL personnel with a view to recommending the adoption of one of them by Australian authorities. The review was carried out by CSIRO AAHL Project Manager Bill Curnow and CSIRO Engineer Arthur Jenkins. They drafted outcomes for each of

833-622: The Princes Highway in Corio . In 1981, the oval finally ceased to exist when the surviving main grandstand was demolished, and a conference centre, now owned by the Salvation Army , was constructed on the site. The attendance record for Corio Oval was set on 29 August 1925 , when 26,025 fans saw Geelong defeat Collingwood by nine points, a record for a Geelong home match that was not broken until 1951. A total of 545 matches at

882-543: The VFL from 1878 to 1915, and 1917 to 1940. Sited in Eastern Park, the oval was served by trams from 1930 when the line was extended along Ryrie Street to the football ground. Corio Oval had been in use as a cricket oval since 1862, when a Geelong and District XXII played an All-England XI. Several more cricket matches against international touring teams were played at the ground until 1937. In 1878, Corio Oval became

931-691: The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). In 2014, the WIV's National Bio-safety Laboratory was built at a cost of 300 million yuan (US$ 44 million), in collaboration and with assistance from the French government 's CIRI lab . In 2007 a scientific review paper stated that the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health , which was designed in the early 1990s, "has become the prototype for modern BSL4 laboratories". Starting with

980-649: The "outside" environment for workers. Examples include the biosafety suites at USAMRIID at Fort Detrick, Maryland , USA and the Maximum Containment Facility (MCF) of the CDC in Atlanta, Georgia , USA. The term “biocontainment” is used differently in facilities for the study of human pathogens versus those used for the study of agricultural pathogens. In agricultural facilities, the definition for “biocontainment” resembles that for “biosafety,” i.e.,

1029-529: The 1970s, participation in the conferences continued to expand and by 1983 discussions began regarding the creation of a formal organization. The American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) was officially established in 1984 and a constitution and bylaws were drafted the same year. As of 2008, ABSA includes some 1,600 members in its professional association. In 1977, Jim Peacock of the Australian Academy of Science asked Bill Snowdon, then chief of

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1078-788: The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic near the facilities of the WIV, work in biocontainment facilities has been politicized, especially in the US Senate for example as the result of Rand Paul 's work. Russia asked questions on 25 October 2022 in the United Nations over the presence in Ukraine of biolabs. In April 2023, Sudan's descent into civil war caused worries at the World Health Organization over its National Public Laboratory as contending factions battled over its area and NPL staff were kicked out in favor of installing

1127-530: The Army as a Military Training Camp during World War II . Kardinia Park was decided upon as a temporary replacement, with the Corio Oval ticket boxes and turnstiles being relocated to the new venue for the start of the 1941 season. Due to travel restrictions, petrol rationing, and an exodus of players to serve in the armed forces, the club went into recess in 1942 and 1943: at the start of the 1944 season, there

1176-407: The CDC or USDA, adhere to certain standards, and maintain ongoing education on biosecurity and biosafety policies as mandated by law. Biocontainment Another use of the term relates to facilities for the study of agricultural pathogens, where it is used similarly to the term " biosafety ", relating to safety practices and procedures used to prevent unintended infection of plants or animals or

1225-607: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Select Agent Program must adhere to Department of Defense standards. Since BSL3 and 4 laboratories in the United States are regulated by either the CDC or USDA or another federal agency (depending on the pathogens they handle), no single federal agency is responsible for regulating or tracking the number of these labs. U.S. high-containment laboratories that handle pathogens which are declared as " select agents " must be inspected periodically by

1274-525: The European Union departs from the United States and classifies HIV and hepatitis B – G as Risk Group 3 agents best handled at BSL-3. Prions , the infectious agents that transmit prion diseases such as vCJD , are typically handled under Biosafety Level 2 or higher. This is due to the lack of any evidence of aerosol transmission and relatively higher infective dose of prion diseases, though some circumstances (such as handling animal-infective prions in

1323-945: The U.S. that were accredited biosafety levels 3 or 4. The Proceedings of a Workshop on "Developing Norms for the Provision of Biological Laboratories in Low-Resource Contexts" provides a list of BSL-3 laboratories in those countries. Biosafety level 3 is commonly used for research and diagnostic work involving various microbes which can be transmitted by aerosol and/or cause severe disease. These include Francisella tularensis , Mycobacterium tuberculosis , Chlamydia psittaci , Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus , Eastern equine encephalitis virus , SARS-CoV-1 , MERS-CoV , Coxiella burnetii , Rift Valley fever virus , Rickettsia rickettsii , several species of Brucella , chikungunya , yellow fever virus , West Nile virus , and Yersinia pestis . Biosafety level 4 (BSL-4)

1372-473: The environment. This includes various microbes that cause mild disease to humans, or are difficult to contract via aerosol in a lab setting. Examples of pathogens classified as "Risk Group 2" in the United States include seasonal influenza, SARS-CoV-2 , hepatitis A , B , and C viruses, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus , Salmonella , Plasmodium falciparum , and Toxoplasma gondii . Notably,

1421-468: The facility which houses the BSL-3 lab must have certain features to ensure appropriate containment. The entrance to the lab must be separated from areas of the building with unrestricted traffic flow. Also, the lab must be behind two sets of self-closing doors (to reduce the risk of aerosols escaping). The construction of the lab is such that it can be easily cleaned. Carpets are not permitted, and any seams in

1470-556: The facility. Biosafety level 4 laboratories are used for diagnostic work and research on easily transmitted pathogens which can cause fatal disease. These include a number of viruses known to cause viral hemorrhagic fever such as Marburg virus , Ebola virus , Lassa virus , and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever . Other pathogens handled at BSL-4 include Hendra virus , Nipah virus , and some flaviviruses . Also, poorly characterized pathogens which appear closely related to dangerous pathogens are often handled at this level until enough data

1519-597: The facility. Health Canada reports that world-wide until 1999 there were recorded over 5,000 cases of accidental laboratory infections and 190 deaths. The first prototype Class III (maximum containment) biosafety cabinet was fashioned in 1943 by Hubert Kaempf Jr., then a U.S. Army soldier, under the direction of Arnold G. Wedum, Director (1944–1969) of Industrial Health and Safety at the United States Army Biological Warfare Laboratories , Camp Detrick , Maryland . Kaempf

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1568-408: The floors, walls, and ceilings are sealed to allow easy cleaning and decontamination. Also, windows must be sealed, and a ventilation system installed which forces air to flow from the "clean" areas of the lab to the areas where infectious agents are handled. Air from the lab must be filtered before it can be recirculated. A 2015 study by USA Today journalists, identified more than 200 lab sites in

1617-490: The government publication "Laboratory biosafety guidelines" was current between 1990 and 2013, and has been superseded by the "Canadian Biosafety Standards and Guidelines". OECD Best Practice Guidelines for Biological Resource Centres is a consensus report created in 2001 after experts from OECD countries came together, calling upon "national governments to undertake actions to bring the BRC concept into being in concert with

1666-557: The home ground of the Geelong Football Club, after they left Argyle Square due to a dispute over rent, although one game was played at the old ground in 1878 when Corio Oval was flooded. While Geelong went into recess in 1916 due to the First World War , the club remained at Corio Oval until the end of the 1940 season, when they were forced to relocate after the venue became the first major VFL ground to be used by

1715-934: The immediate laboratory environment from exposure to infectious agents. Primary containment requires using proper storage containers, good microbiological technique, and the use of appropriate safety equipment such as biological safety cabinets. Secondary containment is the protection of the environment external to the laboratory from exposure to infectious materials and is provided by a combination of facility design and operational practices. Biological safety cabinets (BSC), first commercially available in 1950, are fairly common devices designed to provide effective primary biocontainment in laboratories working with highly infectious agents. Three general levels and types have been devised ( Class I, Class II, and Class III ). Biosafety suites are suites of laboratory rooms which are essentially equivalent to large Class III cabinets in which positive pressure personnel suits ("space suits") serve as

1764-573: The international scientific community". BRCs are "repositories and providers of high-quality biological materials and information". Components of a laboratory biosecurity program include: Citations Other sources Corio Oval Corio Oval was an Australian rules football ground, located in Geelong, Victoria , and used by the Geelong Football Club in the VFA and

1813-424: The lab. Research with these agents may be performed on standard open laboratory benches without the use of special containment equipment. However, eating and drinking are generally prohibited in laboratory areas. Potentially infectious material must be decontaminated before disposal, either by adding a chemical such as bleach or isopropanol or by packaging for decontamination elsewhere. Personal protective equipment

1862-580: The levels of security. AAHL was notionally classified as "substantially beyond P4". These were adopted by the Australian Academy of Science and became the basis for Australian legislation. It opened in 1985 costing AU$ 185 million, built on Corio Oval . The Australian Animal Health Laboratory is a Class 4/ P4 Laboratory. In 2003, the Chinese Academy of Sciences approved the construction of mainland China's first BSL-4 laboratory at

1911-424: The likelihood of the occurrence of biorisks". The term "biocontainment" is related to laboratory biosafety. Merriam-Webster 's online dictionary reports the first use of the term in 1966, defined as "the containment of extremely pathogenic organisms (such as viruses) usually by isolation in secure facilities to prevent their accidental release especially during research". The term laboratory biosafety refers to

1960-407: The lure. In the 1970s, plans were announced for the new Australian Animal Health Laboratory to be built near Eastern Park. Because the new facility was designed to deal with highly infectious diseases, large congregations of animals could not be permitted in the vicinity, and the greyhound and trotting clubs left Corio Oval in 1978, moving to a newly constructed complex at Beckley Park, adjacent to

2009-464: The measures taken "to reduce the risk of accidental release of or exposure to infectious disease agents", whereas laboratory biosecurity is usually taken to mean "a set of systems and practices employed in legitimate bioscience facilities to reduce the risk that dangerous biological agents will be stolen and used maliciously". Primary containment is the first container in direct contact with biohazardous material as well as protection of personnel and

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2058-420: The relative ease and safety of maintaining a BSL-1 laboratory, these are the types of laboratories generally used as teaching spaces for high schools and colleges . At this level, all precautions used at Biosafety level 1 are followed, and some additional precautions are taken. BSL-2 differs from BSL-1 in that: Biosafety level 2 is suitable for work involving agents of moderate potential hazard to personnel and

2107-503: The release of high-consequence pathogenic agents into the environment (air, soil, or water). The World Health Organization 's 2006 publication, Biorisk management: Laboratory biosecurity guidance , defines laboratory biosafety as "the containment principles, technologies and practices that are implemented to prevent the unintentional exposure to pathogens and toxins, or their accidental release". It defines biorisk management as "the analysis of ways and development of strategies to minimize

2156-418: The safety practices and procedures used to prevent unintended infection of plants or animals or the release of high-consequence pathogenic agents into the environment (air, soil, or water). In the agricultural setting, worker protection and public health are always considerations; however, emphasis is placed on reducing the risk that agents under study could escape into the environment. A "biosafety level" (BSL)

2205-416: The three principal biological warfare (BW) laboratories of the U.S. Army. Because of the potential implication of the work conducted at biological warfare laboratories, the conferences were restricted to top level security clearances . Beginning in 1957, these conferences were planned to include non-classified sessions as well as classified sessions to enable broader sharing of biological safety information. It

2254-427: The world, with a further 17 planned or under construction. The following is a list of existing BSL-4 facilities worldwide. A North Carolina Mosquito & Vector Control Association (NCMVCA) study highlighted safety concerns. In the United States, laboratories can be funded by federal, state, private, non-profit, or academically. The last accounts for 72% of the funding. High-containment labs that are registered with

2303-572: Was much debate over whether to return to Corio Oval, but the supporters of Kardinia Park won out. After the departure of the military, Corio Oval was vacant until 1956, when the Geelong Trotting Club held its inaugural meeting there. In the same year, the Geelong Greyhound Racing Club began to use a new track constructed for greyhound racing inside the trotting circuit, employing a mechanical "tin hare" as

2352-456: Was not until 1964, however, that conferences were held in a government installation not associated with a biological warfare program. Over the next ten years, the biological safety conferences grew to include representatives from all federal agencies that sponsored or conducted research with pathogenic microorganisms. By 1966, it began to include representatives from universities, private laboratories, hospitals, and industrial complexes. Throughout

2401-456: Was tired of his MP duties at Detrick and was able to transfer to the sheet metal department working with the contractor, the H.K. Ferguson Co. On 18 April 1955, fourteen representatives met at Camp Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. The meeting was to share knowledge and experiences regarding biosafety , chemical, radiological, and industrial safety issues that were common to the operations at

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