Institutional Biosafety Program FAQs | Icahn School of Medicine

RESEARCH

Institutional Biosafety Program

The Institutional Biosafety Program compiled a list of frequently asked questions. These questions and responses are provided as a guidance to the biomedical research community.

For a biological safety cabinet to be discarded, moved/relocated, or repaired, it must be decontaminated using a gas/vapor method by a qualified vendor. Biological Safety Cabinet certification vendors provide this service. Please see a list below of some companies:

In conjunction with the vendor’s decontamination record, a completed Equipment Decontamination Form will indicate to the movers that the equipment is safe to handle. The Biological Safety Program can sign off on the form once completed.

For BSC internal filters, disposal as either red bag waste or standard trash would be appropriate. Per NSF/ANSI 49, HEPA/ULPA filters from BSCs that have been decontaminated (i.e., via applicable gas or vapor method) may be safety buried in a sanitary landfill because they no longer pose a hazard. NSF/ANSI 49 is an international and American consensus standard for biological safety cabinets.

Laboratories and/or departments would need to coordinate certification of biosafety cabinets directly with a vendor.

Please see a list of vendors that provide biosafety cabinet certification services. In general, please ensure the company provides an NSF accredited technician to certify your lab’s BSC.

Solid waste contaminated with biological material must be disposed via red bag (non-sharp) or sharps container (sharps).
Sharps containers are for the disposal of sharps waste; these are items that have the potential to cut, puncture, scratch, or abrade skin. Examples include serological pipettes, Pasteur pipettes, pipette tips, needles, blades, microscope slides/coverslips, and contaminated glassware (broken or unbroken).
Red bags are for the disposal of non-sharps solid waste contaminated with biological materials. Examples include Kimwipes, pads, gloves, and intact plastic ware contaminated with biological materials.
Note: No sharps or glass (including unbroken) can be disposed in a red bag. This can pose a safety issue and lead to potential exposure and injury.

For cell/tissue culture work, refer back to Regulated Medical Waste procedures.
Solid waste contaminated with infectious agents or recombinant/synthetic nucleic acid molecule vectors designated for BSL2 (or higher) containment require decontamination before disposal.
Decontamination of solid waste can be achieved either via autoclaving or chemical disinfection.
All liquid biological waste (i.e., all biosafety levels) must be decontaminated prior to drain disposal. Chemical disinfection with bleach requires at least 10 percent concentration in the total volume (nine parts water/waste solution to one part bleach). A minimum of 30 minutes contact time with bleach is needed prior to drain disposal with copious amounts of water. Waste with heavy organic loads would need a higher concentration of bleach and additional contact time.