Stuart D. Blacksell MPH PhD RBP

1. Design and operational options for improving sustainability, biosafety, and biosecurity in southeast Asia. • Stuart D. Blacksell MPH PhD RBP • Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit (MORU), Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. • Centre for Tropical Medicine, University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

2. Local Challenges: building a BSL3 lab • Estimate the amount of time that you think it will take to design and build the labAND THEN DOUBLE IT!!!! • Design to a required standard (WHO, BMBL) • Appoint project mangers and commission consultants reports EARLY • Select a biocontainment engineer with local/regional experience (prequalified by PM) • Be wary of “Turnkey” contractors without local experience • Lack of biocontainment engineers in Asia

3. Local Challenges: building a BSL3 lab Cont. • Approvals for design and workflows • Procurement • Construction • Commissioning and accreditation • Accredit against the design standard • Select an experienced accreditation team Benchmark time for BSL3 completion is 2 years

4. Local Challenges: Biosecurity engineers • Lack of engineers with experience in biosecurity design • Consultants and Contractors overestimate their capabilities • No formal training • Development of a Biosecurity Engineering curriculum at local universities • Development funds for training and scholarships

5. Common design mistakes • Biological Safety Cabinets • Wrong class • Incorrect placement • Interrupted air flows • Hand basins • Location and type • Unable to seal room for decontamination • Laboratory ventilation • Insufficient negative pressure • Location of inlets and exhausts • Location of benches and other equipment

6. Local Challenges: Other BSL3 engineering “issues” • “Reverse” cleanrooms • Unservicable or Inaccessable HEPA filters • Storage of BSL3 organisms outside BSL3 labs • No routine checking of BSCII • Non-biosecure 2-door autoclaves • Rooms that generate positive rather than negative pressures

7. Facilities maintenance and testing • Whatever is built must have locally available service! • Maintenance budgets - often overlooked • BSC testing/HEPA testing • NSF49 or other • Urgent need for accredited BSC/filter testers • Role for donors and partners • Routine upgrades and replacements • Money for new labs is simple! • Easy to see where money has been spent • Difficult to get maintenance budgets!

8. Other considerations • BSL3 Energy costs • Tropical climate • BSL3 single pass air = very expensive and wasteful • Why not recirculation 85% of the air with additional HEPA filtration • Regional training faculties • Biocontainment engineering/Biosafety Officers/Maintenance • Not for profit • Use facilities and experience that is already available locally • Assess the risks • Do we really need a BSL3 lab? • Can we use BSL2 lab with BSL3 practices

9. Energy conservation? (some thoughts) Now… Future??... HEPA EF EF AHU AHU HEPA HEPA BSC BSC BSL3LAB BSL3LAB

10. Conclusions • Focus areas for building a BSL3 lab • Standards, regulations and laws • Know what standard (BMBL5?) • People • Project manager (prequalify) • Biocontainment engineer (prequalify) • General contractors (prequalify) • Client (be knowledgeable) • Documents • Specifications compliance • Budget and contingencies

11. Thank you