What Are 3 Types of Common Biohazard?

12/5/2022 (Permalink)

3 Types of Common Biohazards

A biohazard is any biological material that poses a risk to human health. It can be caused by microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, or fungi), wastes or toxins. Biohazardous materials include waste products from laboratory animals and humans, human blood and body fluids, infectious agents like bacteria and viruses used in research labs or clinics.

What is Biohazard?

Biohazard is a term used to describe biological hazards that can cause infection or disease. Biohazard also refers to waste products and toxins that are potentially infectious.

Biohazards can be found in many places in the home, office, or workplace.

Biohazardous diseases: viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms.

• Viral diseases
• Bacterial diseases
• Parasitic diseases

Biohazardous substances: waste products and toxins.

Biohazardous substances are common, too. However, unlike biohazardous waste, these things aren't thrown out with regular trash or recycled. Biohazardous substances have the potential to cause injury and illness because they contain pathogens that can be transmitted through contact with a human body or personal possessions (like clothing). Examples of biohazardous substances include blood and other bodily fluids; any substance that contains blood; needles and syringes; dead animals; infected plants or plant material (including soil); insects; animal carcasses; medicines and vaccines; food products that may be contaminated with bacteria or viruses (e.g., unpasteurized milk).

Biohazardous waste: biological materials that are either infectious or potentially infectious

Biohazardous waste is any biological material that is infectious or potentially infectious. Examples of biohazardous materials include blood, urine, feces, and vomit. Even though these are not the only types of biohazardous waste and there are other types of hazardous wastes which we will discuss shortly, it’s best to think about this type first because it’s so widely used in the medical field.

Examples of Biohazard Safety Levels

The EPA's Universal Waste Rule defines biohazard waste as any biological material containing potentially infectious materials that are regulated by the Federal government. Biohazard safety levels are determined by the potential for infection and include:

• BSL-1: Low risk of disease transmission.
• BSL-2: Moderate to high risk of disease transmission.

Biohazardous waste is a serious issue that deserves our attention. If you know someone who has been diagnosed with a biological disease, it’s important to be aware of what types of waste they may produce as well as how to dispose of them properly.