Biosafety
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It has long been recognized that exposure to biohazardous material (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, protozoa, biotoxins etc.) and potentially biohazardous material (blood, mammalian cells lines) could have detrimental impact on an individual health; depending upon the organism and health of the individual. |
For this reason, the federal government has mandated specific departments to oversee the use of this material in Canada. Public Heath Agency of Canada regulates human pathogens, while the Canadian Food Inspection Agency addresses animal/plant/ pathogens. Zoonotic agents are jointly monitored.
The University of Ottawa is also concerned about the use of these agents in both research and academic laboratories, and has mandated the Biosafety Committee and ORM to ensure the safe use and disposal of this material. The Biosafety Program is managed by the Manager of Radiation and Biosafety (Lois Sowden-Plunkett) and the Compliance Specialist (Tina Preseau) and is designed to assist the user in minimizing the risk of exposure.
It is important to note that the increased risk of bioterrorism and agroterrorism has placed this area of research under greater scrutiny. The University is currently enhancing the Biosafety Program to address this concern, without unnecessarily burdening the research community.
