Introduction to Animal Hazards Both forms can be obtained from the IACUC office or the IACUC website. Please note that there is no charge for these services. Finally, personnel who will need to have access to the Biological Resource Facility (BRF) must complete a facilities tour with the BRF Manager to review the rules and policies Rosalind Franklin University of the facility, required attire, and other issues. Institutional Animal Care & Use Committee (IACUC) Animal Allergies University faculty, students and staff who Allergic reactions to animals are among the work with research animals directly or most common of the occupational hazards encounter them indirectly can face a number associated with working with laboratory of hazards. Indirect exposure occurs when animals. If you already people must occasionally enter the animal have hay fever or other housing and procedure areas to perform other allergies, it is possible job duties (for example, Campus Safety, that you will develop an Engineering-Maintenance, or IT). This allergy to laboratory pamphlet is designed to acquaint you with the animals with frequent main risks associated with entering and/or or continued exposure. using our animal research facilities. Please Symptoms in allergic note that this document alone does not supply individuals can include you with all the information needed to respiratory and skin completely assess the occupational risks disorders; eye, nose and throat irritation; and associated with animal care and use. Rather, it is a summary of some of the hazards you skin hives. A small percentage of exposed may encounter along with some important workers might develop occupation-related health and safety tips. It is important that you asthma. Asthma is a more serious condition also consult with your supervisor for that presents as coughing, wheezing, and additional information about appropriate shortness of breath. Occupational asthma can safety precautions and methods of hazard be severe and persistent and may require control. removal of all exposure sources. Pre- placement screening can be helpful in All individuals with direct animal contact identifying and alerting persons who might (research or animal care staff) are required to be at risk for developing laboratory-animal obtain more advanced training than is allergy or asthma and educating them about presented here. The advanced training is protective measures. Let your supervisor protocol specific and is the responsibility of know if you have, or begin to acquire, allergic the Principal Investigator (PI) and supervisor symptoms so that appropriate intervention of such individuals. can be taken to prevent long-term difficulties. Everyone who will have contact with animals Chemical Hazards directly and those who are likely to have Chemicals are prevalent in the laboratory and indirect contact (e.g. maintenance or security animal room environments since they are personnel) must complete: 1) registration used to disinfect and clean surfaces, form for the occupational health and safety anesthetize animals, and process tissue (OHS) program with their supervisor and 2) samples. Research protocols can also personally file a completely confidential introduce toxic or hazardous chemicals or medical evaluation form for the animal drugs into animals and these agents can enter research program to Vista Health Services. the waste stream of the animal facility. When 10-16-19 1 animals are dosed with hazardous chemicals, your supervisor know so that additional risk these agents or their hazardous metabolites assessment can be done and your exposure to are excreted in urine or feces, contaminating such agents can be minimized. Alternatively, the bedding and caging. When this possibility you can consult with an occupational health presents itself in the context of an IACUC- specialist through Vista Health (see pamphlet approved protocol, the PI of that laboratory is section below entitled “Personal Medical responsible for discussing safety practices Conditions That May Increase Risk”). In and procedures to be taken in specific rooms addition to negative reproductive effects, of the animal facility with the BRF manager some anesthetics may be carcinogenic or as well as with his/her research staff. toxic to major organ systems such as the liver or kidneys. Proper ventilation, with either a In many laboratories, a variety of hazardous scavenging device or an appropriate fume chemicals such as poisons, carcinogens, hood, is vital in reducing ambient irritants, reproductive or neurotoxins, and concentrations of anesthetic gases and must other agents are part-and-parcel of modern always be used. research. During routine analyses and assays in the laboratory as well as when such agents BRF rooms and cages containing animals are administered to animals, the chemical dosed with Chemical Hazards are clearly hazards tend to be present in very low marked and the PPE that is required for concentrations, significantly lowering an entry is posted on the door. individual’s risk. It is during the preparation of stock solutions, however, where highly Biological Hazards toxic chemicals are manipulated in their pure Individuals should avoid entering animal or concentrated state that the greatest rooms or contacting any containers or potential for a significant exposure resides. equipment marked with the universal Written Standard Operating Procedures Biohazard Symbol (shown here) unless they delineating methods of hazard control are are authorized for such contact, have been required for laboratories that use particularly thoroughly trained in hazardous chemicals. appropriate precautions, and are wearing the A variety of pictograms depict the type of appropriate PPE. The chemical hazard that could be encountered. types of biological Several examples are shown here: hazards include infectious or pathogenic microorganisms such as bacteria or viruses, experimentally infected animals or tissues of such animals; human tissues such as blood and body fluids; human cell lines (including Acute toxicity Irritant. Health hazard established cell lines); cell lines from non- human primates; and recombinant DNA Anesthetic agents are frequently used in agents. animal research. Based on the results of epidemiological studies of operating room Infectious agents are classified on a scale of personnel and other exposed persons, 1 to 4, by increasing risk. Correspondingly, inhalation anesthetics, as a class, have been there are four levels of control - known as identified as reproductive toxins. An Animal Biosafety Levels (ABSL) 1 thru 4 - increased risk of spontaneous abortion and that provide increasing levels of protection to other reproductive effects have been those working with animals exposed to such observed in both exposed women and wives agents. Animal research at Rosalind Franklin of exposed men. If you are pregnant or University is currently limited to ABSL planning a pregnancy, you may wish to let Levels 1 and 2. Thus, there is no animal 10-16-19 2 research being done with highly infectious or have an approved, detailed Standard exotic biological agents in the BRF. At Operating Procedure (SOP) for each type of present, only a few labs are working with agent in use that is available to anyone who mice and rats using infectious agents, and needs to access the room animals in each those agents have very limited potential for posted biohazard room. human infection. Personnel who may be exposed to potentially BRF Rooms and cages containing animals infectious organisms, either through direct dosed with biohazards are clearly marked contact or through contact with fresh tissues with the Biohazard symbol and the harvested from infected animals, may benefit associated PPE that is required for entry is from additional risk assessment and posted on the door. discussion of protective strategies with EHS and possibly an occupational health Because of their potential for direct contact physician. with concentrated stocks of infectious agents, laboratory personnel are at the greatest risk Zoonotic Diseases for occupationally acquired infections. Zoonoses are illnesses and infections that can Researchers may be exposed during the care, be passed from animals to people. A well- propagation, and maintenance of infectious known example is rabies. All the animals organisms; when injecting experimental used at Rosalind Franklin University are bred animals with infectious agents; and during specifically for research and do not have the examination of infected tissues harvested potential for transmitting the kinds of illness from the animals. that wild or non-purpose bred animals Investigators wishing to conduct research would. At the present time, the vast majority of the animals in the BRF are rats or activities involving experimentally or mice obtained from commercial facilities, naturally infected animals should review the and these present a negligible zoonotic risk. CDC/NIH publication Biosafety in Additional information about zoonosis can be Microbiological and Biomedical Biological th accessed from the IACUC web site. Laboratories, 4 edition, and employ appropriate safety practices and procedures. Physical Hazards Rosalind Franklin University requires that Sharps are ubiquitous in animal programs. investigators working with biological agents Needles, syringes, pipettes, razor blades, or recombinant DNA in animals have prior broken glass, scalpels are commonly used in approval from the Institutional Biosafety animal facilities Committee (IBC) and