The NBAF will feature state-of-the-art, bio-containment laboratories to research and develop diagnostic capabilities to assess and detect potential threats against humans and animals alike. All employees working in the facility will be strictly supervised by scientists who are trained and experienced in working with foreign animal and zoonotic diseases. A BSL-4 facility is completely self-contained and is either in a separate building or in a controlled area within a building, which is isolated from all other areas of the building. All research animals are contained entirely within the facility. Once a research animal enters the facility, it does not exit the maximum containment facility. All waste materials leaving a BSL-4 are autoclaved (sterilized), heat treated or otherwise decontaminated in accordance with regulatory requirements. There currently are six BSL-4 laboratories in operation in the United States. All are located in populated areas, including Atlanta, Ga.; San Antonio and Galveston, Texas; and Fort Detrick and Bethesda, Md. BSL-4 facilities are safe, from both a general public and laboratory researcher standpoint. There has never been a public exposure at a BSL-4 facility in the United States.
For more information on the safety of modern research, click here.
For information on Kansas’ proactive approach to protecting the safety of our nation’s food supply, click here.
Further information on the safety and security of BSL-4 facilities can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/OD/OHS/biosfty/bmbl4/bmbl4s3.htm
For more information from the Department of Homeland Security on the NBAF's scope of work and lab safety, please click here.