Laboratory Biosecurity Handbook Second Edition

This book describes the risks of working with dangerous pathogens and toxins in the current era of international terrorism. The authors characterize the global spread of legitimate biotechnology and relate it to the rise of transnational terrorism, emphasizing the need for biosecurity measures even in legitimate bioscience. This second edition is considerably longer than the first and includes several new chapters and sections, with the final two-thirds of the book entirely reorganized.

By achieving a delicate balance between systems and practices, proper laboratory biosecurity reduces the risk of legitimate bioscience facilities becoming sources of pathogens and toxins for malicious use. Effective design and implementation of laboratory biosecurity depends on cooperation among individuals from diverse communities, including scientists, technicians, policy makers, security engineers, and law enforcement officials. Providing guidance to the broad international community, Laboratory Biosecurity Handbook addresses the objectives of biosecurity and the ways in which they overlap or conflict with those of biosafety. The book describes the risks of working with dangerous pathogens and toxins in the current era of international terrorism. The authors characterize the global spread of legitimate biotechnology and relate it to the rise of transnational terrorism, emphasizing the need for biosecurity measures even in legitimate bioscience. The book discusses biosecurity risk assessment-a practical methodology that allows laboratory management and biosafety/biosecurity officers to analyze and determine the level of risk, and serves as a basis for managing those risks. The book includes questionnaires that can assist the process of collecting data for a biosecurity vulnerability assessment, example standard operating procedures and memoranda of understanding, and other useful reference material. Addressing a variety of operating environments and the particular challenges they face when designing and implementing laboratory biosecurity, this book can assist bioscience facilities ranging from the large to the small, from those that focus on diagnosis or vaccine development, to those only minimally involved with infectious diseases. The detailed recommendations help avoid a "one-size-fits-all" approach to security and save limited resources. The book shows institutions how to develop and implement a biosecurity plan, and helps ensure that all components are included in the overall system, whether existing or new.

Over the past two decades bioscience facilities worldwide have experienced multiple safety and security incidents, including many notable incidents at so-called "sophisticated facilities" in North America and Western Europe. This demonstrates that a system based solely on biosafety levels and security regulations may not be sufficient. Setting the stage for a substantively different approach for managing the risks of working with biological agents in laboratories, Laboratory Biorisk Management: Biosafety and Biosecurity introduces the concept of biorisk management—a new paradigm that encompasses both laboratory biosafety and biosecurity. The book also provides laboratory managers and directors with the information and technical tools needed for its implementation. The basis for this new paradigm is a three-pronged, multi-disciplinary model of assessment, mitigation, and performance (the AMP model). The application of the methodologies, criteria, and guidance outlined in the book helps to reduce the risk of laboratories becoming the sources of infectious disease outbreaks. This is a valuable resource for those seeking to embrace and implement biorisk management systems in their facilities and operations, including the biological research, clinical diagnostic, and production/manufacturing communities.

This is the third edition of this manual which contains updated practical guidance on biosafety techniques in laboratories at all levels. It is organised into nine sections and issues covered include: microbiological risk assessment; lab design and facilities; biosecurity concepts; safety equipment; contingency planning; disinfection and sterilisation; the transport of infectious substances; biosafety and the safe use of recombinant DNA technology; chemical, fire and electrical safety aspects; safety organisation and training programmes; and the safety checklist.

During July 10-13, 2011, 68 participants from 32 countries gathered in Istanbul, Turkey for a workshop organized by the United States National Research Council on Anticipating Biosecurity Challenges of the Global Expansion of High-containment Biological Laboratories. The United States Department of State's Biosecurity Engagement Program sponsored the workshop, which was held in partnership with the Turkish Academy of Sciences. The international workshop examined biosafety and biosecurity issues related to the design, construction, maintenance, and operation of high-containment biological laboratories- equivalent to United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention biological safety level 3 or 4 labs. Although these laboratories are needed to characterize highly dangerous human and animal pathogens, assist in disease surveillance, and produce vaccines, they are complex systems with inherent risks. Biosecurity Challenges of the Global Expansion of High-Containment Biological Laboratories summarizes the workshop discussion, which included the following topics: Technological options to meet diagnostic, research, and other goals; Laboratory construction and commissioning; Operational maintenance to provide sustainable capabilities, safety, and security; and Measures for encouraging a culture of responsible conduct. Workshop attendees described the history and current challenges they face in their individual laboratories. Speakers recounted steps they were taking to improve safety and security, from running training programs to implementing a variety of personnel reliability measures. Many also spoke about physical security, access controls, and monitoring pathogen inventories. Workshop participants also identified tensions in the field and suggested possible areas for action.

Biological safety and biosecurity protocols are essential to the reputation and responsibility of every scientific institution, whether research, academic, or production. Every risk—no matter how small—must be considered, assessed, and properly mitigated. If the science isn't safe, it isn't good. Now in its fifth edition, Biological safety: Principles and Practices remains the most comprehensive biosafety reference. Led by editors Karen Byers and Dawn Wooley, a team of expert contributors have outlined the technical nuts and bolts of biosafety and biosecurity within these pages. This book presents the guiding principles of laboratory safety, including: the identification, assessment, and control of the broad variety of risks encountered in the lab; the production facility; and, the classroom. Specifically, Biological Safety covers protection and control elements—from biosafety level cabinets and personal protection systems to strategies and decontamination methods administrative concerns in biorisk management, including regulations, guidelines, and compliance various aspects of risk assessment covering bacterial pathogens, viral agents, mycotic agents, protozoa and helminths, gene transfer vectors, zooonotic agents, allergens, toxins, and molecular agents as well as decontamination, aerobiology, occupational medicine, and training A resource for biosafety professionals, instructors, and those who work with pathogenic agents in any capacity, Biological safety is also a critical reference for laboratory managers, and those responsible for managing biohazards in a range of settings, including basic and agricultural research, clinical laboratories, the vivarium, field study, insectories, and greenhouses.