7 Biosafety Manual A. Introduction Definition of Biohazardous Materials Biohazardous materials are those materials of biological origin that could potentially cause harm to humans, domestic, or wild animals, or plants. Examples include recombinant or synthetic nucleic acid molecules, transgenic animals or plants, human, animal, or plant pathogens, biological toxins (such as tetanus toxin), human blood, and certain human body fluids, and human or primate cell cultures. Purpose The purpose of the Iowa State University (ISU) Biosafety Program is to assist in protecting faculty, staff, and students; minimize exposure to biohazardous materials, prevent the release of biohazardous materials that may harm humans, animals, plants or the environment, and protect the integrity of experimental materials. To better fulfill these goals, biosafety staff members serve on the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), manage the Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Plan, and conduct exposure assessments for the Occupational Medicine (Occ Med) program. Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) biosafety staff also: • coordinate the certification of biosafety cabinets, • advise faculty, staff, and students who work with biohazardous materials about applicable regulatory guidelines, • assist researchers in determining appropriate practices and facilities for biocontainment and proper biohazardous waste disposal methods, • oversee proper disposal of biohazardous waste, • provide assistance with obtaining regulatory permits and shipping biohazardous materials, and • oversee the Select Agents and Toxins program. The Biosafety Manual outlines appropriate practices, university policies, and regulatory requirements for working safely with biohazardous materials. For a comprehensive overview of the core requirements that must be followed in all laboratories at ISU, please see the Laboratory Safety Manual.
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