TB Infection Control
Laboratory Biosafety
Started by Regina Bhebhe on 29 Aug 2010
Thank you Paul for coming up with the biosafety of the TB laboratories. I have been saying it is maybe forgotten. Thank you for bring up this subject. I would like to hear from other countries how they do perform in their level 1 and 2 biosafety laboratories. In Zimbabwe most of our level 1 and 2 laboratories have biosafety cabinets class 2 in central laboratories(provincial and central hospitals) and some class 1 in peripheral laboratories (district and mission hospitals) that are ducted out. We also have hood that are ducted out too these are mostly in peripheral TB laboratories(15% of district and mission hospitals have the hood, these were special included in the hospital plans when their were built as it was realised that servicing of the biosafety cabinets was not manageable. Information given is to hear also how good and how safe to use the hood. According to the years these hood in use we have not yet witnessed and infections from the saff. I very much appreciate and thank you for the Basic Laboratory Safety Book I have download and I hope it will assist us in the NTP program to come up with good laboratory safety. I will make sure we adopted some procedures because I think my TB lab colleagues were now in a dilema.
Regina Senior Medical Laboratory Scientist (National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory)
Attached resource:
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Laboratory biosafety manual, third edition 2004 (download, 1.3 MB) Laboratory biosafety manual, third edition 2004 (external URL) (click here for more details...) Link leads to: http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/biosafety/WHO_CDS_CSR_LYO_2004_11/en/
Source: World Health Organization - WHO
Language: English
Keywords: Biosafety Lab, biosafety level, Engineering Controls, TB IC Guidelines
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Regina Bhebhe
Thank you
10:11 AM, 29 Aug 2010 | Permalink
Chilunga Puta
Yes this is a very important issue particulary in the light of MDR-TB and the threat of X-DR TB. It is important in my view to review our position on what level safety of cabinets go to which level of healthcare. Given the current threats in TB control and the compounding factor of HIV infection I am not sure that the usual "sustainable", "feasibility of maitenance" arguments can continue. If the threat is real then every laboratory at whatever level that handles TB must be as safe as possible. So we simply have to look for ways to sustain and maintain equipment. In the long run the cost of not taking a serious look at safety in the labs is likely to be very high. Is it really sustainable to put the few health care providers we have (and by extension the wider public) at risk?
Chilunga
11:00 AM, 29 Aug 2010 | Permalink
Melvin First, ScD, CIH, PE
Let me try to clear up a few points about BSC design and function.
A Class I BSC is essentially a chemical fume hood with filtered exhaust air that provides environmental protection. The in-flow air through the open face provides worker protection.
A Class II BSC provides worker protection from in-flow air through the open work access opening, environmental protection through HEPA filtered exhaust air, and work protection through HEPA filtered air flooding the work surface.
A chemical fume hood with in-flow velocity of 75-100 feet per minute (0.4-0.5 m/s) will provide the same worker protection as a correctly operating Class I or II BSC; but neither environmental nor work protection.
Chemical fume hoods also need periodic face velocity checks and maintenance.
Melvin First
7:21 PM, 29 Aug 2010 | Permalink
Limenako Matsoso
Dear Colleagues,
Just to add briefly to the discussion, my opinion is that wherever possible, all labs dealing with TB should have a class 2 Biosafety cabinet. It protects the personnel, the specimen as well as the environment (e.g room). It would indeed be more cost-effective in the long run to invest in these IC measures as a lot of infections can be prevented in our laboratory staff....
Regards,
Limenako.
5:19 AM, 30 Aug 2010 | Permalink