BOSTON, MA — Laboratory workers in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, especially those handling viruses, viral vectors, recombinant DNA, biological organisms, bacteria and fungi face a variety of potential health hazards.

But as attendees of CleanRooms East 2001, which will be held at the World Trade Center in Boston, March 12-14, can find out, those hazards are easily avoidable.

Dr. Brenda Barry, a senior associate and toxicologist at Newton, Mass.-based Environmental Health & Engineering, will host a new conference session entitled “Implementing Biosafety Practices for Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Laboratories” on Tuesday, March 13. The session will be held from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

According to Barry, the key to maintaining a safe working environment is through a proactive approach. The session will focus on laboratory reviews and compliance of guidelines imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health as methods of ensuring safety for biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

“Sometimes you work with these materials and you get a little blase,” Barry says.

For more information about CleanRooms East 2001, please call (603) 891-9267.