Bio-hazardous Material

The term biological material, as used in this manual, is a general term referring to all prokaryotic and Eukaryotic organisms (and their components), viruses, sub-viral agents and biologically derived toxins used in instructional laboratories. For the purposes of bio-safety, it is useful to categorize biological material as bio-hazardous or non-bio-hazardous, and to accurately assess the risks involved in working with each type biological material present in the laboratory.

Bio-hazardous Material includes all infectious agents, vectors known to carry and transmit infectious agents, infected or potentially infected animals, infectious material and biologically-derived toxins that present either a risk or a potential risk to the health of humans, animals, or plants either directly through infection or indirectly through damage to the environment.