{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.biosafety-level","code":"thing-q898943","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q898943/","name":"biosafety level","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Cross-cutting context","entryKind":"thing","plane":"XCT","domain":["XCT.QTY"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A level of biocontainment precautions required for laboratory work with biological agents, graded in four-level frameworks from biosafety level 1 for work posing minimal risk to level 4 for work requiring the highest containment; assignment depends on a risk assessment of the agent and the work, with treatment availability being one factor rather than a categorical criterion for level 4; each level specifies facility design, equipment, practices and training, informed by national and international guidance such as the WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual and the CDC and NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, with parallel animal and agricultural levels.","purpose":"Let an agent explain biosafety levels and their criteria in general terms, relay the frameworks that define them and how agents are assigned, identify facilities and oversight, and keep to descriptive information without laboratory procedure or agent handling instruction.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Four graded levels","Facility, equipment and practice requirements","Risk-based assignment","International and national guidance"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What the levels are.","layers":[{"id":"levels","name":"Levels","description":"The four levels.","findings":[{"id":"levels-finding","name":"Levels","description":"Levels.","questions":[{"text":"What are biosafety levels 1 to 4, and what does each require in general terms?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question descriptive, or a request for laboratory procedure, which the model does not give?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"assignment","name":"Assignment","description":"Assigning levels.","findings":[{"id":"assignment-finding","name":"Assignment","description":"Assignment.","questions":[{"text":"How are agents and activities assigned to levels through risk assessment?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits risk group?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"frameworks","name":"Frameworks","description":"Frameworks and oversight.","layers":[{"id":"guidance","name":"Guidance","description":"Defining guidance.","findings":[{"id":"guidance-finding","name":"Guidance","description":"Guidance.","questions":[{"text":"Which international and national documents define the levels, and how do they differ?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"oversight","name":"Oversight","description":"Oversight.","findings":[{"id":"oversight-finding","name":"Oversight","description":"Oversight.","questions":[{"text":"How are high-containment laboratories regulated, inspected and governed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits biosecurity?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"facilities","name":"Facilities","description":"Facilities.","layers":[{"id":"labs","name":"Labs","description":"High-containment laboratories.","findings":[{"id":"labs-finding","name":"Labs","description":"Labs.","questions":[{"text":"Where are BSL-4 laboratories located, and what do public sources report about their number and governance?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"design","name":"Design","description":"Design features.","findings":[{"id":"design-finding","name":"Design","description":"Design.","questions":[{"text":"What general design features distinguish containment levels?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation general rather than procedural?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"History and debate.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did biosafety levels develop from early containment practice?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the history of biosafety?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"debate","name":"Debate","description":"Debates.","findings":[{"id":"debate-finding","name":"Debate","description":"Debate.","questions":[{"text":"What debates exist about high-containment research and oversight, with positions attributed?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the presentation neutral?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain what each biosafety level means in general terms from public health guidance.","Check that a lab's declared level matches the work registered for it, reporting gaps to the biosafety officer."],"mustNot":["Help anyone work with dangerous biological agents outside a lab at the required containment level.","Advise on defeating, bypassing or downgrading containment controls.","Provide information that helps acquire, grow or spread dangerous pathogens.","Hide or downplay a lab exposure, spill or containment breach."],"requiresHuman":["Assigning or changing the containment level for a piece of work.","Reporting a suspected exposure or breach to authorities."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Lab leaks can harm workers and the public; containment exists to prevent that.","Research on dangerous agents brings both medical benefit and serious misuse risk."],"affectedParties":["Laboratory workers","The surrounding public","Patients who benefit from research"]},"owners":{"steward":"The institution running the lab, with its biosafety officer; national health and safety regulators license high containment work.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["National registers of high containment laboratories"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q7336288","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"risk metric","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual","type":"related","note":"and national guidance"},{"target":"risk group","type":"related","note":"the agent classification"},{"target":"biocontainment laboratory","type":"related","note":"the facility"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.biosafety-level","Wikidata: Q898943 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q898943)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["levels: 4 count","BSL-4 laboratories worldwide: about 60 count - estimates vary"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Graded containment requirements","Levels 1 to 4, with animal and agricultural variants","Risk groups classify agents; biosafety levels classify the work and facility","Not a visible object; laboratories with signage and containment features by level."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the levels and criteria","relay defining frameworks","describe oversight and facilities","distinguish from related classifications"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Laboratory-acquired infections","Containment failures","Confusing levels with risk groups","Agents giving procedural handling instruction"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["WHO Laboratory Biosafety Manual","CDC and NIH Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories","EU Directive 2000/54/EC on biological agents at work","National select agent and pathogen regulations"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Matching containment to the risk of biological agents.","biosafety levels 1 to 4","animal biosafety levels","agricultural and plant containment levels","equivalent national schemes such as containment levels in the UK and EU"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q898943: biosafety level","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q898943","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Biosafety level","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should each level be a separate entry?","How should national schemes be linked?","How should the count of high-containment laboratories be sourced?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q898943/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q898943/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-12T23:06:21Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:33+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane XCT: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}