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Asked by 768parf33 to Linda, Franco on 18 Jun 2016.
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Franco Falcone answered on 18 Jun 2016:
@768parf33
I do work with human blood samples so there is always an inherent risk, which is called a biohazard. However many precautions are taken at work to ensure that the risk is kept as small as possible. Work is carried out in labs which have various safety classes, ranging from 1 to 4, where Level 1 is low hazard work, Level 2 is for work with pathogens which can infect but for which there are good treatments, Level 3 is for dangerous pathogens with no or limited treatment, and Level 4 is for the most dangerous pathogens, such as Ebola, Lassa, and other pathogens. This is all clearly prescribed by laws and regulations. My work is in Level 2 and many blood samples we work with have been treated with reagents which inactivate viruses such as HIV or Hepatitis virus.
I have however in the past managed a Level 3 laboratory in which scientists worked with Hepatitis C, for which there was no good cure at the time. At the time, I was the Biological Safety Officer and had to take special training to do this. So while I wasn’t doing any hazardous work myself, I frequently had to enter the Level 3 lab to check that everything is okay and that the scientists working there do not expose themselves to unnecessary risks. I have never been in a Level 4 lab but would love to do so one day, it’s on my to do list. But you do get a good idea of what such labs look like in movies such as ‘Outbreak’ or ‘Contagion’. If you are old enough, I recommend watching these movies, in particular ‘Contagion’ because the science in it is pretty sound, in contrast to most other contagious disease catastrophe movies.
Every University has a Safety Officer who makes sure that safety rules and regulations are implemented and respected. This starts with limiting access to Level 2 (or higher) labs with PIN-coded locks, and making sure that personnel wear protective personal equipment (PPE) meaning lab coats, gloves and goggles, at all times. Children under 18 and unauthorised personnel are not allowed to enter such labs.
Have a look at http://www.cdc.gov/training/quicklearns/biosafety/
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Linda Anagu answered on 20 Jun 2016:
@768parf33, there is danger of being infected with whatever parasite you are working with and even worse the human blood you may be using to culture the parasites. You are however trained to prevent such occurrences before working in the laboratory. We also wear protective clothing and use a screened glass that separates us atmospherically from the parasite we work with. So no need to worry we are not in danger. But, if peradventure, there was an accident, first aid and help is always promptly on the way. I happy you care about our safety.
Comments
Mark commented on :
I have done a lot of fieldwork in Africa over the years and the greatest risk to life was always when we were on the road. Having said that I have never personally suffered any injury. Traffic accidents are a major cause of mortality across the continent, especially amongst men.
Claire commented on :
Hi 768,
I don’t think I would call it severe danger, but I used to work in a laboratory where we kept live parasites called schistosomes that can actively burrow through the skin from infested water. To do my work I had to collect thousands of them and so the liquids I worked with posed a high risk of infection to me and my co-workers. We reduced the danger of this happening by working in a separate room to other scientists, always wearing lab coats and gloves, transporting the parasites in a special sealed box and always keeping strong disinfectants to hand to kill them and decontaminate any spillages once we had finished working with them. I also had to go for a special health check every 6 months to make sure I had not infected myself by mistake. Without these safety measures in place, we would not be allowed to work with parasites that could infect humans, so, as Mark says, traffic accidents are probably more dangerous than my lab work has ever been.