New BSL2 laboratory established in ABE department

A biosafety level 2 (BSL 2) laboratory has been established in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) at the University of Illinois.

“This lab has given us more breathing room,” said ABE associate professor Kaustubh Bhalerao, who directs the new lab. “It didn’t take long to grow out of our previous space. Students were making schedules, ‘you work in the morning, I’ll work at night,’ and it was still very crowded.” Now Bhalerao’s students can work together if they wish, with a variety of equipment that rem

There are four levels for biosafety laboratories and they come with increasing levels of precautions and security measures. In a BSL 2 lab, personnel can handle pathogenic (capable of causing disease) material of moderate potential hazard to personnel and the environment, including various bacteria and viruses such as hepatitis A or B, influenza A, Lyme disease, salmonella, mumps, or measles.

Bhalerao listed some of the equipment, supplies and facility requirements necessary in a BSL 2 laboratory. “You must have a certified biosafety cabinet, which means it has negative air flow. That assures that anything that might be spilled or creates a spray will not come out at you; it will go up into the filter. [Bhalerao’s lab has two cabinets.] We also have to have an autoclave that is tested on a regular basis, containers for disposing glassware and sharps, lab coats, and safety equipment, like eyewear and gloves.”

Restricted access is another requirement for the lab, which Bhalerao appreciates. “We have some very nice equipment here, like the $60,000 spectrophotometer. We sometimes have guests coming to use that, which is good, but having restricted access allows me to keep a closer eye on things.”

Students working in the lab are required to go through two safety courses online, one for general lab safety and one to understand biosafety. “They need to be aware that there are materials they handle that are potentially pathogenic to humans,” said Bhalerao, “so, for instance, they learn about spill procedures. If there’s a chemical or a biological spill, what do you do?”

Bhalerao requires a third course, specific to his lab.

“This gives them instructions on such things as where the spill kit is located, what the exit plans are, and who to contact. It’s important to place that kind of responsibility on the students. It keeps them a little bit scared, and a little bit scared is a good thing.”

Bhalerao emphasized the importance of having enough space for students to work together.

“When they are in the lab at the same time, they ask each other questions, they solve each other’s problems, they get lunch together. It helps their synergy. They are enthused about each other’s ideas and more productive.”

He said the new lab also greatly enhances their ability to collaborate with colleagues from other universities or departments across campus. “We’ve had meetings in the lab to show what we have and what we can do. That opens up opportunities to work together.”

The lab is currently being used for a variety of research projects spanning synthetic biology, environmental impacts of nanotechnology, and sensors and instrumentation development for plant and animal agriculture.

“I’m truly thankful for this wonderful asset that the department has provided,” Bhalerao concluded.
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Contact: Kaustubh Bhalerao, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 217/244-6569.

Writer: Leanne Lucas, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, 217/244-2862.

If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Rick Kubetz, editor, Engineering Communications Office, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 217/244-7716.