Validation and Verification of Steam Sterilization Procedures for the Decontamination of Biological Waste in a Biocontainment Laboratory

One of the most critical aspects of safe operations in biosafety level 3 and 4 and animal biosafety level 3 and 4 biocontainment laboratories is the effective inactivation of biological select agents and toxins in the waste generated in these environments. Steam sterilization has been used for decades to effectively kill microbial contaminants in a variety of medical and commercial settings. In biocontainment research settings, steam sterilization is often used to inactivate biological select agents and toxins in various types of waste prior to removal from the containment laboratory. This method is especially important for types of waste for which other decontamination methods are not as effective or practical, such as chemical decontamination (quaternary ammonium, sodium hypochlorite, formalin fixation, paraformaldehyde), ultraviolet light, or incineration. Bulk trash, animal waste, and animal carcasses in particular do not easily lend themselves to decontamination via chemical or radiation methods. Dec...