Biosafety Onboard the International Space Station

In a typical microbiological or biomedical laboratory, potentially harmful biological hazards are contained by laboratory practices and techniques, safety equipment (primary barriers and personal protective equipment), and facility design. Despite the unique and restrictive environment in space, sound biosafety principles and practices that are commonly used on the ground, such as adequate medical surveillance, thorough risk assessment, sufficient level of containment, effective remedial controls, and the use of proper personal protective equipment, can still be applied in space to mitigate the potential risks that biohazardous materials present to the astronauts and to the internal environment of the International Space Station (ISS).