A New Level 3 Biosafety and Astrobiology Laboratory in Pieve A

PAN.R.C.- A New Level 3 Biosafety and Astrobiology Laboratory in Pieve a Nievole (PT) Tasselli, D. TS Corporation Srl - Astronomy and Astrophysics Department Via Rugantino, 71, 00169 Roma RM - Italy E-mail:[email protected] Ferrara, G. TS Corporation Srl - Biology Department Via Cavalcanti, 10, 51010 Massa e Cozzile PT - Italy E-mail:[email protected] Ricci, S. TS Corporation Srl - Meteorogical and Climatic Change Department Via Rugantino, 71, 00169 Roma RM - Italy E-mail:[email protected] Bianchi, P. TS Corporation Srl - Geology and Geophysics Department Via Rugantino, 71, 00169 Roma RM - Italy E-mail:[email protected] Abstract We report our proposal for the establishment of a biocontainment and astrobiology laboratory in a strategic area of Pieve a Nievole (PT) at 28 mt above sea level - to face the lack of biological and astrobiological research centers and all the social, economic and cultural consequences that this project implicate. The structure will be built under the Horizon 2020 work program 2018-2020 - European Research Infrastructures (in- cluding e-Infrastructures), and will enable the development of major re- arXiv:1811.05201v1 [astro-ph.IM] 13 Nov 2018 search project. Keyword: astrobiology - biosafety - biosecurity - BSL3 - containment - research center - biological risk - biological agents - new research facility - location: Pieve a Nievole (PT) This paper was prepared with the LATEX 1 1 Introduction project that involves the use of biological agents from second or third group, must The environment that surrounds us is pop- ask permission and wait for the technical ulated by biological agents such as bacte- time to use the currently available facili- ria, viruses or fungi. Some of these inhabit ties. the surface of our skin or even form part Moreover, the participation of students of our intestinal flora. from other countries in both the Euro and Not all of them are harmful, in fact, many non-Euro zone is reduced at the moment, of these microorganisms allow us a better with a consequent reduced return in pro- life. However, a small part of these or- ductivity, efficiency, economy and interna- ganisms can get into our bodies and cause tionalization. problems. By the term “biological risk” we mean ev- 3 Why this place ery kind of risk deriving from the direct or indirect contact with these agents that can Pieve a Nievole (PT) is deemed to be the cause disease. best place in the district of Montecatini To date, biological risk is managed though Terme (PT) and in the Valdinievole area. the classification of biological agents in four groups, based on the effects they Latitude 43°52’21"72 N cause on healthy people, as demonstrated Longitude 10°48’9"00 E by Figure 1. Share 28 mt. s.l.m. Table 1. Pieve a Nievole (PT) coordinates. Thanks to its meteorological and geological conditions, this area is perfect for building and insediation a research laboratory, thank to the average weather conditions in certain times of the year (Table 2). Fig.1 - Classification of microorganisms by risk groups. The main advantages of Pieve a Nievole (PT) are summarized as follows: According to this classification, four spe- • exceptional air stability; cific containment criteria there have been • continuous research activity; identified, to which the diagnostic or research laboratories must refer. • proximity to two airport: Florence to 60 Km and Pisa to 40 km; 2 State of art in Italian research cen- • adjacency to the florence-sea high- ters way To date, in Italy there are only four re- 3.1 Meteo-Clima Data search centers with a level 3 biosafety laboratory. The lack of facilities on the Ital- Preliminary tests on the site were per- ian territory represents a serious problem, formed with good results. because of the return of previously erad- Data on cloud cover to Pieve a Nievole icated endemic disease and the onset of (PT) has acquired automatically, showed new viral and bacterial illness due to glob- clear skies during most of the winter sea- alization, overcrowding and immigration. son, while the average value of maximum Until now, any company, university or re- wind speed is watched in Table 2. searcher, who wants to have part in a Mouth T min T max Prec. Umidity Wind • Lower Pleistocene (Villafranchi- °C °C mm % Km/h ano Superiore from 2 to 0.7 million years ago) Gen 2 11 74 75 E 9 This period is characterized by the Feb 3 12 70 71 E 9 progressive lifting of the area due Mar 5 15 77 70 W 16 to a progressive subsidence, linked Apr 7 18 80 72 W 16 to the phenomena of migration to May 11 22 61 72 W 16 the east of the comprehensive ef- Jun 14 26 43 70 W 16 forts responsible for the birth of the Jul 17 29 24 67 W 16 Apennines. And the consequenceof Aug 17 29 57 68 W 16 these events was the birth of a lake Sep 14 26 88 71 W 16 in which the paleo rivers brought Oct 11 21 120 72 W 9 sediments, while the ground due to Nov 6 16 122 74 E 9 the effect of subsidenze continued Dec 3 12 85 76 E 9 to lower until it touches 400 meters below sea level. At the end of this Table 2: Average weather conditions over the past 30 period, probably due to a glacial years. event, the sea level was lowered, until it came to an offset of the coast, 3.2 Geological data not unlike the current configuration. In this period also the lakes present From a geological point of view, you can disappeared, and specifically in the not look at the area of the Pieve a Niev- area affected by the project, this ole town, without inserting it into a wider phenomenon due to the lower subsi- contest that includes the whole surround- dence compared to the sedimentary ing flat area. contribution, determined a reduc- The area affected by the project is a tion rather than a disappearance of flat area characterized by the presence of the lake basin of Pescia-Empoli In the large "swamp of Fucecchio" whose this period, the residual "Fucecchio drainage occurred in various historical lake area" turned into a swamp. epoche. This type of area is frequent in Tuscany, • Middle-upper Pleistocene (from and is a phenomenon resulting from the 700,000 to 8,800 years ago) genetic phenomenon due to the reduction In this period the area still affected of the comprehensive efforts that have by elevation, assumed the current originated in the Apennine chain. configuration. There were no sub- The beginning of the evolution of the area stantial orographic changes except can be summarized as follows: for a drift of the swamp that occu- pied the eastern side. • Middle-upper Pliocene (from 4 to 2 Million Years ago) If Italy is on a larger scale con- • Holocene (from 8,800 years to ceived as already defined in the current date) main orographic characteristics, the In this perimeter the variations are situation seen in the area covered by almost all of an anthropic nature. the present study is different, as this In fact, during the "Leopoldino pe- area consists of a slope with a slight riod" we can see the reclamation of slope crossed by rivers that descend the Fucecchio marsh which has re- from the north. duced its extinction and regulated the waters. 4 PAN.R.C. in summer be destined to host currently unavailable avant-garde instruments, which can also The research facility will consist of two be used by other Italian research centers. area on either side of the structure with a The presence of this facility will con- central area of calculation and handling of tribute to the growth of the scientific com- electronic instrumentation. munity of biologists and biotechnologists, as well as it will encourage the development of local companies. A laboratory construction and mainte- nance, in fact, cannot be possible without the support of artisan and professional industries, from the hydraulic to the elec- trical, from the design and installation of ventilation systems to their management, from construction of automated doors for the access the laboratory to the mainte- nance of filters in air systems (Figure 2). Fig.3 - PAN.R.C. with Google Eart [2] This infrastructuremust be correlated with a series of equipment that can guaran- tee not only the effectiveness of research, but also the maximum containment of the Fig. 2 - A typical Level 3 Biosafety Laboratory agents treated. An essential characteristics of research 4.1 BSL 3 centers is the ability to create a network between members of scientific commu- A level 3 laboratory, specifically, is suit- nity, with the aim of expand it more and able for study, analysis and research of bi- more. Sharing a research project and its ological agents, such as bacteria, viruses results would set a multidisciplinary work and fungi belonging to the second and and support its distribution and dissemi- third groups. Also continuous research ac- nation in several scientific fields beyond tivity in a list of uman patology. biology. For this reason, level 3 biosafety laborato- The availability of additional resources ries must be built in a strategic area with in these fields will encourage interaction law-defined criteria. between sciences and the development of significant projects, initiatives and discov- 4.2 Future perspective eries. The laboratory will collaborate with inter- The addition of a new research facility national universities and will certainly be- in this area, together with those already came an incentive for students who wants present, would help to increase employ- to approach the research or scientific anal- ment, expand the research area and the ysis.

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