Biohazards are infectious agents or hazardous biological materials that present a risk or potential risk to the health of humans, animals or the environment. The risk can be direct (through infection) or indirect (through damage to the environment).

 

The predominant probable routes of transmission in the laboratory are: 1) direct skin, eye or mucosal membrane exposure to an agent; 2) parenteral inoculation by a syringe needle or other contaminated sharp, or by bites from infected animals and arthropod vectors; 3) ingestion of liquid suspension of an infectious agent, or by contaminated hand to mouth exposure; and 4) inhalation of infectious aerosols.

 

Biohazardous materials include certain types of recombinant DNA; organisms and viruses infectious to humans, animals or plants (e.g. parasites, viruses, bacteria, fungi, prions, rickettsia); and biologically active agents (i.e. toxins, allergens, venoms) that may cause disease in other living organisms or cause significant impact to the environment or community.

 

Bio-containment precautions are classified by the relative danger that the pathogenic organisms being isolated pose to the surrounding environment. As of 2006, this classification system consists of four biosafety levels (BSL1 through BSL4); higher numbers indicate a greater risk to the external environment.

 

Biological hazards may occur while working with:

• Human blood, body fluids, tissues, or bloodborne pathogens (BBP)

• Live animals

• Animal specimens

Potential risks of biological hazards include:

• Exposure to infectious material or preservatives

• Animal bites

• Allergic reaction

• Cell damage

• Potential bloodborne pathogen exposure

• Eye or skin irritation

 

Fisher Safety understands the critical risks associated with biological hazards and carries a wide variety of safety products that may help to protect against this risk.

 

Information from Lab Safety Brochure by Fisher Scientific

(Biosafety Level 3 and 4 agents are prohibited at Marian University)

 

In The News

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Free Online Health Literacy Course:

Understanding the Ebola Virus and How You Can Avoid It

Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever (pdf)

Technical Resource on Ebola - Grainger

 

 

Wards Natural Science

 

 Background information

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 arthopods

 

 

 

 

 

 

•  

• Brine Shrimp

• Crayfish

• Daphnia

• Fiddler Crabs

• Freshwater Crustaceans (Amphipods, Copepods, Ostracods)

• Land Hermit Crabs

• Land Isopods

• Millipedes

• Working with Daphnia

 

microorganisms

• Algae and Cyanobacteria

• Free Living Protozoa

• Protists

• Rotifers

• Working with Algae and Cyanobacteria

• Working with Protozoa

 

 insects

• American Cockroaches

• Bess Beetles

• Confused Flour Beetles

• Crickets

• Dampwood Termites

• Dermestid Beetles

• Drosophila

• Harvester Ants

• Hissing Cockroaches

• Ladybugs

• Mealworms and Darkling Beetles

• Milkweed Bugs

• Moth Cocoons

• Nasonia

• Painted Lady Butterflies

• Praying Mantis Egg Cases

• Sarchophoga bullata

• Silkworm Eggs

• Subterranean Termites

• Superworms

• Swallowtail Butterflies

• Tarantulas

• Tobacco Hornworms

• Waxworms

• Working with Drosophila

• Working with Insects

• Working with Nasonia

 

 invertebrates

• Annelids

• Blackworms

• Earthworms and Redworms

• Freshwater Leeches

• Freshwater Mussels

• Freshwater Snails

• Hydra

• Land Snails

• Marine Invertebrates

• Medicinal Leeches

• Nematodes

• Planaria

• Spongilla

• Vinegar Eels

• White Worms

• Working with Hydra

• Working with Planaria

 

 vertebrates

• American Chameleons

• Amphibian Eggs

• Axolotls

• Bufo Toads

• Bullfrogs

• Dwarf African Frogs

• Eastern Newts

• Freshwater Fish

• Garter Snakes

• Grass Frogs

• Green Tree Frogs

• Marine Fish

• Necturus (Mud Puppy)

• Small Toads

• Spotted Salamanders

• Xenopus

• Yellow Throated Lizards

 

 plants

• Aquarium Plants

• Cacti and Succulents

• Elodea

• Experimental Plants

• Insectivorous Plants

• Lichens

• Mimosa

• Mosses, Liverworts, and Ferns

• Spider Plants

 

 bacteria, biotech, and fungi

• Bacteria and Fungi

• Bacteriophage

• Dictyostelium

• Media and Agar

• Physarum

• Pouring Plates

• Protein Molecular Weight Markers

• Saprolegnia ferax

• Working with Bacteria and Fung