Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) While the rash of swine flu cases is making many argue that private laboratories should be allowed to conduct tests for the presence of the H1N1 virus, the government says only laboratories that conform to Bio Safety Laboratories Level 2 (BSL-2) specifications are equipped to carry out tests for such infectious viruses. Here are the details of what a BSL-2 lab must have:
The facility, the containment devices, the administrative controls, and the practices and procedures that constitute BSL-2 are designed to maximize safe working conditions for laboratory staff, because agents tested in these labs are generally transmissible following exposure, the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) of the US has said.

The US started working on bio-safety labs during World War II. CDC has placed these labs at four levels.

Eating, drinking and smoking are complete no no in BSL-2 laboratories, and extreme precautions are taken while handling needles and other sharp instruments. Access to the laboratory is restricted. There is need for specified personal protective equipment, the need for appropriate training of lab technicians.

The supervisor of a BSL-2 lab should be a competent scientist with full knowledge of the risks associated with the microbiological agents in use. Laboratory personnel should be aware of the potential hazards associated with the work and be proficient in the specified practices and procedures.

Any work in the labs that may produce splatters or aerosols of infectious materials should be done inside a biological safety cabinet (BSC) or other containment device, such as aerosol-containing centrifuge cups, CDC added.

Waste materials need to be segregated in categories like chemical, radioactive, bio-hazardous, and general waste streams. Infectious waste should be decontaminated by treating them with chemical disinfectants.

In any situation, lab technicians are advised not to break or bend needles. Needles and syringes, butterfly needles and associated tubing, and similar devices should be discarded intact into a puncture- and leak-proof container.

According to Indian health ministry, setting up a lab of such standard needs at least Rs.40 million and the maintenance cost of such centres is approximately Rs.100,000 per day. Couple of days back, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that one positive swine flu test costs government at least Rs.10,000 and a negative test costs Rs.5,000-6,000.

The door of the labs is kept closed to minimize unnecessary access by casual visitors or persons not needing to be in the laboratory. It is prudent to schedule entry by non-laboratorians to times when there is no test is going on.

A leak proof box, preferably equipped with a gasket seal lid, should be used for transport of infectious materials from one location to another. This is particularly important when carrying samples from patient care areas to labs.

Other special practices include decontaminating work surfaces after completing the work with the infectious materials, keeping non-research animals out of the laboratory. The air inside the lab is filtered to make them sterile.