Principal Investigators who conduct animal experiments requiring Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval must also obtain the appropriate safety approval when work involves the use of hazardous materials.

The Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) will assist you in preparing the appropriate application documents and safety forms to obtain approval for your use of these agents.

Infectious agents & biological hazards requiring IACUC, OEHS and IBC Approval

• The Animal Hazardous Agents Form II (AHAFII) for Biological Agents specific to the agent and host species should be drafted and reviewed for appropriate safety practices and procedures connected with experimentally infected animals. A copy of the AHAF II must be placed on the door of a room housing animals exposed to hazardous substances.

• Culturing, propagating, or preparation of infectious agents in the laboratory requires Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) review and approval of written safety procedures.  Animals exposed to potentially infectious microorganisms are housed under special conditions. Additional housing requirements, entry precautions, and signage are also needed. For animal biosafety level 2 (ABSL-2) practices and procedures see the CDC/NIH Biosafety in Microbiological & Biomedical Laboratories, 6th Ed., 2020.

• IBC Memo: Reducing Exposure Risks When Working with Human Cell Lines and Tissue in Rodents 

Toxic chemicals & hazardous drugs requiring IACUC and OEHS approval

• The Animal Hazardous Agents Form II (AHAFII) for Chemical Hazards must be placed on the door of a room housing animals when there is a possibility for the administered hazardous agents or metabolites to be excreted by the animal and present a hazard to the DLAR staff or other research personnel who may enter the room.

• The potential for an exposure with significant risk is greatest during the preparation of stock solutions of carcinogens, reproductive toxins, chemotherapeutic drugs and other highly toxic agents where chemicals are manipulated in their pure or concentrated state. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) should be written and maintained in the lab.  All relevant staff should be trained on the relevant SOPs.

• For detailed guidance on chemicals that need to be reported on IACUC protocols, please see: IACUC Reportable Chemical Guide.
  • For Principal Investigators familiar with the overall process, a summary of the guide can be found below:
    • Summary of IACUC Reportable Chemical Guide
• Acute toxins with category 01 dermal (H310) and/ or category 01 inhalation (H330) hazards are considered Specific High Risk Chemicals (SHRCs), and require prior approval from WSU Chemical Safety Committee to be used in any laboratory procedure including, but not limited to, animal research. Please contact WSU Chemical Hygiene Officer for information on how to obtain approval.

Radioisotopes requiring IACUC, OEHS and RSC approval

• If you intend to inject radioisotopes into laboratory animals, this work will require Radiation Safety Committee (RSC) review and approval of written safety procedures prior to use of these materials.

Animal hazardous agents form II (AHAFII)

A separate AHAFII must be completed for chemical hazards and biological hazards. Provide a copy to the DLAR staff at least one week prior to the exposure of your animals to hazardous agents.

AHAFII for Biological Agents (native or recombinant mammalian viruses, bacteria, fungi, human blood, tissue, cell Lines, etc.)

AHAFII for Chemical Hazards

Specific animal hazardous agent forms:

Streptozotocin (STZ)

Streptozotocin (STZ) - Metabolic Cages