Back Risgo biolochico AN خطر بيولوجي Arabic Біялагічная небяспека Byelorussian مەترسیی ژینناسانە CKB Biologické riziko Czech Biologische Gefahren German Rìsć biològic EML Riesgo biológico Spanish Arrisku biologiko Basque خطر زیستی Persian
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A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat (or is a hazard) to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect human health. A biohazard could also be a substance harmful to other living beings.[a]
The term and its associated symbol are generally used as a warning, so that those potentially exposed to the substances will know to take precautions. The biohazard symbol was developed in 1966 by Charles Baldwin, an environmental-health engineer working for the Dow Chemical Company on their containment products.[1] It is used in the labeling of biological materials that carry a significant health risk, including viral samples and used hypodermic needles. In Unicode, the biohazard symbol is U+2623 (☣).
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- ^ "Biohazard Symbol History". Archived from the original on February 13, 2012.