GARCIA, Krizzi Eve D.

3CHEM1
Zoom In: Biosafety magnified
Biosafety refers to the principles, methods, technologies, and practices applied
for containment in order to avoid accidental exposure to microbes or being accidentally
released. Laboratories that handle biohazards employ standard protocols to decrease
the risk of exposure. After watching the videos, I was able to comprehend the relevance
of biosafety in the protection of human lives. The previous videos emphasized the
principles involved in biosafety such as the containment levels implemented that help
categorize the hazard involved.
While the last video was about a case where forgotten smallpox samples
contained in vials were found in a cardboard box kept in a storage refrigerator in
Atlanta. Such circumstances where samples are being forgotten is highly dangerous as
it poses a huge risk of contamination and accidental release that could lead to a more
disastrous event.
Smallpox was an infectious, disfiguring and deadly disease caused by the variola
virus that has infected over 300 million people in the 20th century before it became the
only human infectious disease ever that was eradicated completely. The symptoms
include high fever, fatigue and a distinctive rash filled with a clear fluid that eventually
dries up. It was fatal in up to 30% of the cases. Since smallpox is a highly infectious
disease in nature, humans who are exposed to live strain of this virus can be infected
which then could spread to other humans consequently leading to an outbreak.
Outbreaks could become an epidemic or even worse, a pandemic which greatly affects
a huge population. Diseases have a tremendous impact in the society, from the
emotional level up to the economic level, everyone is suffering. Deaths are only a part
of the consequence of the release of an unwanted infectious agent in the environment.
The health system might not be able to cope with the rise of infections that could
ultimately lead to a collapse eventually adding to the havoc amongst people. It is indeed
a fearful phenomenon to be battling something that is beyond our control.
The virus causing smallpox belongs to the roster of highly infectious deadly
pathogens including ebola. These kinds of viruses are dealt within the tightly controlled
confines of a biosafety level 4 facility where proper suits and materials are used in the
laboratory. After seeing the video report where the vials were forgotten, I thought of
what could have happened otherwise. The box could have been accidentally dropped
which could have accidentally broken the vials, releasing the pathogens that are
possibly still alive. It could have been a whole disaster. However, I realized things that
could have been done to avoid this circumstance. First, appropriate storage protocols
should be followed like having each vial separated and labeled. Second, the necessary
inventory of the vials currently in each refrigerator should be up to date and checked
from time to time. Third, each sample being studied should be kept at a secured
container. In our chemistry classes, these things should always be followed. As we deal
with different chemicals, we are at risk of endangering each other’s lives. The simple
storage of these kinds of substances should not be underestimated because the things
that we are mostly complacent of are also the things that could put us in risk. I always
like to remind myself of the responsibility I have as I enter each laboratory class. So
each day in a chemistry class, I proceed in my experiments with caution. To sum up,
biosafety is an essential topic that all scientists must know because the lives of people
are at stake.