Overview
In this module we investigate the standards and procedures in place for biosafety-that is, reducing the risk that a disease-causing agent infects a laboratory worker or escapes the laboratory and infects the community outside the lab and biosecurity-that is, defense against the deliberate release of infectious agents from the confines of the laboratory for malicious purposes. We will look carefully at the application of special equipment, physical protection, best practices, and techniques for achieving a safe and secure laboratory environment.
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| Lesson.1: Biosafety and Biosecurity | Lesson.2: Acquiring Bio-Weapon Capability | Lesson.3: Terrorist Biosecurity Violations | Lesson.4: Preventing Biosecurity Breaches |
Advancement
After completing this module, you will be able to:
- Compare and contrast biosafety and biosecurity concepts, goals, and measures
- Assess acceptable risk inside and outside of the laboratory
- Understand levels of risk posed by different biological agents
- Understand and apply knowledge of risk groups and biosafety levels
- Assess the risks and consequences of terrorist use of biological agents
- Apply methods for preventing breaches in biosecurity and biosafety
- Anaylze a qualitative risk and threat assessment
- Understand national legislation and international regimes for criminalizing and punishing attempts to acquire, develop, produce, and possess biological agents for offensive purposes
Suggested Readings
External Links (requires Internet connection):
- Leitenberg, “Assessing the Biological Weapons and Bioterrorism Threat”; http://www.cfr.org/publication/9727/crs_report.html;
- Relman, “Bioterrorism – Preparing to Fight the Next War”; http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/354/2/113.
- Congressional Research Service, Small-scale Terrorist Attacks Using Chemical and Biological Agents: An Assessment Framework and Preliminary Comparisons; http://www.fas.org/irp/crs/RL32391.pdf