There are several
diseases that are caused by blood borne pathogens (BBP's). While
many BBP's are fairly exotic and you may never encounter them,
a few BBP's are fairly common and present a risk to you if you
come in direct contact with potentially infectious materials
such as human blood and certain body fluids.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) has recognized that health care workers and others,
who may in contact with human blood or blood associated materials
(Other Potentially Infectious Materials or OPIM for short)
has recognized this occupational hazard and created the "Blood
borne Pathogen Standard".
This standard has served as the basis for implementing
policies and practices to minimize your risk of exposure to
BBP's, specifically to Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Hepatitis
C virus and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). These policies
and practices, if followed, are an effective means to reducing
your risk of exposure to other pathogens as well.
Blood and Other Potentially Infectious Materials
(OPIMs)
HIV and HBV may be found not only in human
blood, but also in other potentially infectious materials
including the following body fluids:
- blood products (such as plasma or serum)
- semen
- vaginal secretions
- cerebrospinal fluid
- pleural fluid (or lung fluid)
- synovial fluid (or fluid from your joints)
- amniotic fluid (or uterine fluid)
- peritoneal fluid (or fluid that fills your body cavity)
- saliva in dental settings
- any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood
- any body fluid that you can't tell what it is
Other items found in the clinical or laboratory
setting are also considered to be other potentially infectious
materials (OPIM) and they include:
- any unfixed tissue or organ, other than intact skin, from
a living or dead person
- cell or tissue cultures that may contain blood borne pathogens
as outlined in LBNL's Exposure Control Plan
- organ cultures and culture medium or other solutions that
may contain HIV or HBV blood from experimental animals infected
with HIV,
- HBV or other BBPs.
It is a required practice to use Universal Precautions
when handling these body fluids and materials.
The following body fluids are not expected to
be infectious sources of blood borne pathogens unless they
are visibly contaminated with blood:
- urine
- feces
- vomit
- tears
- sweat
- sputum
- nasal secretions
Although these body fluids do not currently require
universal precautions, good personal hygiene practices are
highly recommended when handling these materials.
