image by: United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases

HWN Suggests

To protect from lab leaks, we need ‘banal’ safety rules, not anti-terrorism measures

Biological materials are almost never “leaked,” “released,” or “stolen.” Instead, pathogens and toxins walk out of laboratories across the globe because the required safety protocols are compromised or not followed at all. They leave the lab inadvertently, attached to the researcher working with or near the material.

There is no intrigue in that, no conspiracy or evil genius, only the banality of failing to enforce and follow existing procedures for accessing, handling, and storing biological matter. That may mean forgetting to wipe down a lab bench, using improper glove techniques, not wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment, or not cleaning equipment properly. These…

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Articles of Interest

Biosafety Levels 1, 2, 3 & 4: What’s the Difference?

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Efforts to reform the government’s approach to biological security came on the heels of lab safety lapses at other agencies as well. Six vials of smallpox virus, discovered at a lab at the National Institutes of Health in 2014, were believed to have been stored there for 50 years. The samples were quickly destroyed.

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Reporting all biosafety errors could improve labs worldwide – and increase public trust in biological research

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What It's Like To Handle The Nastiest Pathogens As Your Day Job

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Resources

CDC

Biosafety is the application of safety precautions that reduce a laboratorian’s risk of exposure to a potentially infectious microbe and limit contamination of the work environment and, ultimately, the community.