ABSTRACT
Biological hazards, known as biohazards, refer to biological substances that pose a threat to health of living organisms, primarily that of humans. This can include medical waste or samples of a microorganism, virus, or toxin that can affect human health. The biohazard symbol was developed by Charles Baldwin, an environmental-health engineer working for Dow Chemical Company on the containment products. The biohazard symbol was developed by Dow Chemical Company for their containment products. In addition to these living and/or replicating pathogens, biological toxins are included among the bioagents. Biological agents have the ability to adversely affect human health in a variety of ways, ranging from relatively mild allergic reactions to serious medical conditions, including death. Primary containment requires using proper storage containers, good microbiological technique, and use of appropriate safety equipment such as biological safety cabinets. Biological safety cabinets (BSC), first commercially available, are fairly common devices designed to provide effective primary biocontainment in laboratories working with highly infectious agents.
