Biosafety issues are majorly concerned with the policies, procedures, and principles adopted to protect the human population and the environment from biological hazards. If you wonder about the importance of biosafety, it is to keep an eye on harmful agents such as chemicals, toxins, viruses and radiation that can potentially wreak havoc when used amateurishly in labs. With the advancements in genetic engineering, biosafety measures have gained immense importance for ensuring environmental and public security and safety. Moreover, with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, global public health bodies such as the CDC and WHO have updated biosafety practices for labs handling COVID-19 samples.
What are Biosafety Issues?
Biosafety issues are defined as the strategies, practices and principles adopted to prevent direct contact or contamination with toxins and pathogens. The main objective of biosecurity is to keep a close eye on harmful chemicals, toxins, radiation, and other agents when used in laboratory settings. With the changing times and evolution of new technologies, biosafety measures have successfully acquired critical importance, more so with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The researchers involved in the primary processes of handling biological substances need to have a thorough understanding of the biosafety issues so that these can be determined and safety measures can be taken at the root cause of a mishap.
The “Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety” and the “Convention on Biological Diversity” are the international agreements put in place to ensure the safe handling, transport, and use of living modified organisms (LMOs).
It was adopted on January 29, 2000, and went into effect on September 11, 2003. So far, 167 nations have adopted the below-mentioned objectives. Let’s have a look:
- To ensure the safe movements of the modified living organism (MLOs).
- Framing and sharing methodologies and principles for risk assessment through the Biosafety Clearing House.
Significance of Biosafety Issues
There are several areas where genetic engineering practices are carried out, and these areas require special permission or approval from the country’s governing bodies.
Over the years, there has been great awareness among researchers, administrators, environmentalists, policymakers and producers of Genetically Modified Organisms regarding biosafety. In addition, regular campaigns against the threats of biohazards from improper handling of biological agents have spread awareness and prompted necessary measures to rectify the mistakes.
Although modern research emerges as a boon to human life, it can go the other way if not used wisely. For instance, two significant issues regarding biosafety facing humanity are bioterrorism and biosecurity. Hence, it is essential to check them for human safety.
Biosafety Levels
Biological Safety Levels (BSL) are a set of protocols that apply to autoclave-related activities in specific biological labs. These biosafety levels protect laboratory staff and the immediate environment and community from potentially lethal contaminations.
Biosafety levels, which range from one to four, are chosen based on the agents or organisms handled in any laboratory. For instance, a specialist research laboratory dealing with potentially lethal infectious diseases such as Ebola would be categorised as BSL-4—the highest and most restrictive category.
In the same way, a lab handling non-lethal agents will be categorised as BSL-1, the least restrictive category, since it does not pose any threats to the lab personnel and the immediate environment.
Here’s a breakdown of the four biosafety levels:
Biosafety Level 1
Biosafety level 1 is the lowest level imposed on agents, consisting of threats to the workers in the laboratories and nearby surroundings. The research is easily carried out without checking the special contaminant equipment under this protocol. These facilities include:
- Protecting equipment, including gowns, gloves, lab coats and goggles
- Prohibition on smoking, food and drinking in the lab
- Avoiding aerosols or splashes
- Handling sharp objects safely
- Mechanical pipetting
- Signs of biohazards
- Washing hands
Biosafety Level 2
Biosafety Level 2 consists of several agents that lead to human diseases like HIV, encephalitis, etc. Apart from this, people practising in labs handling these elements need to be careful about injuries such as ingestions, cuts, etc., since they can cause potentially lethal infections that may spread to others.
- needs to be decontaminated.
- Practices that need to be carried out in the Biosafety Level 2 labs are:
- Using protective equipment, including glasses, face shields, goggles and so on.
- Infection-causing procedures need to take place only in biological safety cabinets.
- A sink and eyewash should be available readily.
- Before disposal, the waste material neBiohazard signs must be present.
Biosafety Level 3
The Biosafety Level 3 includes usage and working on pathogenic microbes, which, if inhaled, could lead to several serious diseases. Biosafety Level 3 laboratories are as follows:
- Protective equipment such as respirators must be present.
- One must walk through two levels of self-closing doors to access the lab.
- Research and experiments should only be performed in proper biosafety cabinets.
Biosafety Level 4
Biosafety Level 4 involves working with chemicals that can be toxic. Some standard requirements in the Biosafety Level 4 laboratories are as follows:
- While exiting the lab, each researcher needs to take a shower and change clothes.
- Only persons trained to handle BSL-4 pathogens and laboratory equipment should be permitted inside the lab.
- The doors of the BSL-4 labs should be closed at all times, and the laboratories should be located away from the building’s main circulation.
- All the material used needs to be decontaminated.
What is Biopiracy?
Biopiracy can be defined as exploiting naturally occurring genetic materials or biochemicals for commercial benefits. Many organisations and international corporations engage in this practice by claiming that bioresource components result from their study.
For instance, plant-based items in India such as neem, basmati rice, and even turmeric are patented in other countries.
Examples of Biopiracy
Some of its common examples include:
- Biopiracy of African super-sweet berries
- Patenting of Azadirachta indica called neem
- Biopiracy of Enola beans
- The rosy periwinkle
Conclusion
As you just saw, biosafety is a critical requirement of the modern world. Biosafety is essential in microbiology since bio-related research activities may include manipulating potentially hazardous microbial, animal, or plant cells. Biosafety risks often surface due to improper and amateur handling of potentially-lethal biological elements in lab settings or procedural mishaps. There are four levels of biosafety hazards called the BSLs.