From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia.
The biological hazard
symbol
Immediate disposal of
used needles into a sharps
container is standard
procedure.
Biohazard is a shorthand
term for "biological hazard".
It refers to
biological substances that
pose a threat to (primarily) human
health. This can include medical
waste, samples of a
microoganism, virus or
toxin (from a biological
source) that can affect humans,
and so forth. It is generally used
as a warning, so that those
potentially exposed to the
substances will know to take
precautions. It can also include
substances harmful to animals.
There is also a biohazard HCS/WHMIS
logo which utilizes the same
symbol.
In
Unicode, the biohazard sign is
U+2623 (☣).
Graphic novelist
Mitchell Vega uses the
biohazard sign as his signature in
his pictures.
Biohazardous agents are
classified by
UN number:
- UN 2418 (Infectous substance
to Humans)
- UN 2900 (Infectous substance
to Animals)
- UN 3291 (Medical Waste)
Levels of Biohazard
The United States' CDC (Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention)
categorizes various diseases in
levels of biohazard; Level 1 being
minimum risk and Level 4 being
extreme risk.
Biohazard Level 1:
Bacillus subtilis, canine
hepatitis,
E. coli, varicella (chicken
pox).
Biohazard Level 2:
Hepatitis B,
hepatitis C,
influenza,
Lyme disease,
West Nile virus,
salmonella,
scrapie
Biohazard Level 3:
anthrax,
typhus,
HIV,
SARS,
tuberculosis,
BSE,
Smallpox,
Yellow Fever,
Mumps,
Biohazard Level 4:
Ebola,
Lassa virus,
Hanta virus,
Bolivian Fever,
Dengue Fever and other various
hemorrhagic diseases (mostly of
African decent).
See also
