Biohazard

Faculty and staff conducting projects that involve hazardous biological materials (including

recombinant DNA), radiological materials, or hazardous chemical waste materials must have

prior approval and must comply with all relevant government regulations. SIUC's Center for

Environmental Health and Safety (453-7180) oversees the approval committees described

below and monitors compliance.

BIOLOGICAL SAFETY

SIUC's Institutional Biosafety Committee and Biological Safety Officer are responsible for

ensuring that faculty and staff who conduct research with hazardous biological materials

comply with the most recently published federal and state standards for such research.

Biological materials covered by the standards include living organisms, products produced

by such organisms, organic chemicals produced to mimic activity/actions of such products,

and recombinant DNA molecules. Biological materials are considered hazardous if they

present a direct or indirect risk to the well-being of humans, animals, or plants.

Any SIUC researcher who plans to conduct research involving potentially hazardous

biological materials or recombinant DNA must submit to the Institutional Biosafety

Committee a memorandum of understanding and agreement (MUA) describing the work and

the safeguards to be used. The proposed project must be approved by the committee before

activities can begin. For more information and for copies of the appropriate MUA form,

contact the Biological Safety Officer at 453-7188.

RADIOLOGICAL CONTROL

SIUC holds licenses issued by the Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety that contain

specifications governing research projects that involve radiological materials. All research

conducted at the University must be done within the framework established by the licenses

and various other state