History of Laboratory Biosafety
History of Laboratory Biosafety
1943
IRA L. BALDWIN was tasked in establishing the biological weapons program for defensive purposes to
enable the US to respond if attacked by such weapons.
1984
ARNOLD WEDUM described the use of mechanical pipettors to prevent laboratory acquired infections.
Ventilated Cabinets
1909
1944
ARNOLD WEDUM, director of Industrial Health and Safety of the US Army Biological Research
Laboratories was recognized as one of the pioneers of biosafety that provided the foundation for
evaluating the risks of handling the infectious microorganisms and for recognizing biological hazards and
developing practices, equipment and facility safeguards for their control.
1966
1967
It was also during this time that serious concerns about biosafety practices worldwide raised.
WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY
Variolation
Variola Major
Variola Minor
1974
2 years later
National Institutes of Health of the United States published the NIH Guidelines for Research involving
the Recombinant DNA molecules.
Document established the model of biosafety containment levels with certain agents which increased
the biosafety levels for biological agents that pose risk to human health.
1996
Us government enacted the SELECT AGENT REGULATIONS to monitor the transfer of a select list at
biological agents from one facility to another.
2001
Amerithrax
The revival SELECT AGENT REGULATIONS required specific security measures for any facility in the
United States that used or stored one or more agents or the new longer list of agents.
PAPER MESSAGE
09-11-01
“THIS IS NEXT, TAKE PENACILIN NOW, DEATH TO AMERICA DEATH TO ISRAEL, ALLAH IS GREAT”
BRUCE IVINS
2012
The revision of the SELECT AGENT REGULATIONS sought to address the creation of 2 tiers of select
agents.
Tier 1 agents
Materials that pose the greatest risk of deliberate misuse, and the remaining select agents.
Bacillus anthracis
Bacillus cereus
Clostridium
Burkholderia pseudomallei
Ebola virus
Francisella tularensis
Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus
Marburg virus
Rinderpest virus
Variola Major virus (Smallpox Virus)
Yersinia pestis
2005
Canada - CL3 CL4 facilities for Risk Group 3 & 4 are required to undergo certification
2008
The Danish parliament passed a law that gives the Minister of Health and Prevention the authority to
regulate the possession, manufacture, use, storage, sale, purchase, or other transfer and disposal of
biological agents.
DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS IN THE FIELD OF BIOSAFETY
It promotes biosafety as a scientific discipline and provides guidance to its members on the regulatory
regime present in North America.
Active members of the International Biosafety working group are required to directly contribute to the
development of the best biosafety practices.
Focuses on encouraging and communicating among its members information and issues on biosafety
and biosecurity as well as emerging legislation and standards.
It is a non-government and non-profit association wherein its officers and members work to serve the
emergent concerns of biological risk management in various professional medical, agricultural,
technological and biological sectors throughout the Philippines.
END OF PART 1