Contained use of GMOs and/or pathogens: Tools for risk assessment and risk management

Application of the legislation

• Does the legislation apply to my activity of contained use of pathogenic micro-organisms? (in French and Dutch)

Biological material

• Pathogenic micro-organisms
  • Belgian classification for micro-organisms based on their biological risks
    • Criteria for classification
    • Definitions of classes of biological risk
    • Methodology used for establishing the classification lists (in French and in Dutch)
    • Classification lists of pathogenic micro-organisms (2008)
  • International classifications schemes for micro-organisms based on their biological risks
• Genetically modified micro-organisms (GMMs)
  • Criteria for the classification of:
    • GMMs into class of risk 1 (in French and in Dutch)
    • Transgenic animals into class of risk 1 (in French and in Dutch)
    • Transgenic plants into class of risk 1 (in French and in Dutch)
  • Risks associated with the use of:
    • viral vectors (in French and in Dutch)
    • inserts (in French and in Dutch)
    • cell cultures (in French and in Dutch)

Risk assessment and Biosafety recommendations

• Methodology of risk assessment
• Practical examples of risk assessement and biosafety recommendations
  • Genetically modified micro-organisms (risk assessment sheets)
  • Clinical laboratories (in French and in Dutch)
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates (PDF File)
  • Animal cell cultures
  • Lentiviral vectors (PDF File)
  • Laboratories manipulating the Transmissible Spongiform Encephalitis (TSE) causing agent (PDF File)
  • Flow cytometry
  • Ebola virus disease outbreak (in French and in Dutch)
  • Poliovirus eradication
  • Biosafety in educational setting in Flanders: Original report in Dutch (PDF) - Summarised report in French (PDF) - Additional informations (PDF, in Dutch and in French)

Biosafety guidelines for the contained use of specific pathogens

• SARS-CoV-2 (in French and Dutch
• Monkeypox virus (in French and Dutch)

Physical containment and protective measures

• Containment facilities
  • Criteria for biosafety containment levels (in French and in Dutch)
  • Animal facilities (PDF File)
• Personal protective equipement (PPE)
  • Lab coats (PDF file, in French and in Dutch)
  • Respiratory protection (PDF file, in French and in Dutch)
• Biosafety equipment
  • Biological safety cabinet (PDF file in French and in Dutch)
  • Autoclaves (PDF File, in French and in Dutch)
• Good microbiological practices
  • Biosafety manual (PDF File in French and in Dutch)
• Disinfection, sterilization and waste management
  • Decontamination of effluents (PDF File)
  • Biological waste inactivation and disposal (PDF file in French and in Dutch)
  • Micro-organisms: Viability and susceptibility to disinfectants
  • Fumigation: Revision of the classification of formaldehyde
  • Decommissioning of laboratories performing rapid detection of transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE)  (PDF File)
• Technical information and features of L3
  • Negative air pressure in L3 laboratries (PDF File in French or in Dutch)
  • Airtightness in Belgian high biocontainment facilities (PDF file)