Safety and Security Regulations Against Biological Threats

Biological threat agents include bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and their associated toxins. They have the ability to harmfully affect human health ranging from an allergic reactions to serious illnesses, even death. Water, soil, air, plants or animals can be a suitable habitat for their live and proliferation. Because biological agents may reproduce rapidly and initially unnoticed, need minimal resources to survive and can infect at very small doses they can be used as biological warfare agent or bioweapon. Genetic modification may enhance their hazardous and lethal properties, or develop resistance to conventional treatments. In effect, to protect people from dangerous biological agents as well as protect biological agents from intentional malicious acts both, biological safety and biological security measures should be implemented and respected. Because of wide scale of risks caused by biological agents, biosafety and biosecurity issues should be interpreted on many fields taking as priority protection of human beings and their surrounding environment. The reader will familiarize with different point of views on biosafety and biosecurity issues in relation to occupational health and safety, public health and disease surveillance, biodiversity protection, genetic modification of microorganisms, transportation of dangerous goods, storage control of biological agents, dual-use technology, education and awareness raising, weapon of mass destruction threats and bioterrorism acts. The main international agreements, the European Union regulations and principles supporting implementation of national legislation concerning biosafety and biosecurity areas are presented. The role of legally and not-legally binding instruments is highlighted, as well.