In this era of threatening natural and human-made biological emergencies from terrorism to pandemic flu, it is essential that laboratories be safe and secure. The biosafety sessions of this program will identify key concerns of laboratory biosafety, focusing on biosafety level 2 (BSL2) laboratories and practices, an explanation of biosafety level 3 (BSL3) practices and how they can be used in a BSL2 laboratory, proper use of personal protection equipment (PPE), biological safety cabinets (BSCs), and conducting risk assessments. The biosecurity session will present laboratory security principles described in the 5th edition of the Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) manual. You will also learn how to conduct vulnerability assessments and develop a good biosecurity plan. Finally, through the use of case studies and activities you will be able to apply these principles and concepts to the clinical laboratory.

The 2008 course will be held on September 16 in Ankeny, Iowa. There is a $25 registration fee and the deadline for registration is September 3, 2008. All registrations will be handled by NLTN and class size will be limited to the first 25 registrants.