Biological contaminants are alive, with a particular life cycle, to penetrate inside the human being, cause infectious diseases or parasitic types.
Biological contaminants are microorganisms, cell cultures and human endoparasites which may cause any infection, allergy or toxicity.
Therefore, is only as dangerous biological agents capable of causing alterations in human health. These are diseases caused by biological agents
- Communicable diseases that have certain species of animals, and through them, or their products or offal, directly or indirectly transmitted to humans, such as anthrax, tetanus, brucellosis and rabies.
- Infectious diseases have environmental or animal small vehicles, such as toxoplasmosis, histoplasmosis, malaria, etc..
- Infectious diseases of health personnel. They are infectious diseases that contagion lies with health professionals or people working in clinical laboratories, autopsy rooms or centers of biological research, such as Hepatitis B.
Risk groups: biological contaminants are classified into four risk groups according to level of risk of infection:
- Group 1: Includes biological contaminants that can cause some diseases to humans.
- Group 2: Includes pathogenic biological contaminants that can cause disease to humans, it is unlikely that the group spread, and generally there is an effective prophylaxis or treatment. Eg Flu, tetanus, among others.
- Group 3: Includes pathogenic biological contaminants that can cause severe disease in humans, there is a risk that spreads to the group, but generally, there is an effective prophylaxis. Eg anthrax, tuberculosis, hepatitis …
- Group 4: Biological Pollutants pathogens that cause serious diseases to humans, there are many opportunities to spread the collective, there is no effective treatment. Eg, Ebola virus and Marburg.
Tags: biological, Biological contaminants, biological hazards, infectious, microorganisms, parasitic