The mission of the committee is:
To provide a forum for disseminating and exchanging ideas and information about hazardous microbiological agents and their byproducts to health professionals and to the community.
Project Teams
Goals and Objectives
Goal: Assemble, evaluate, and disseminate to occupational and environmental health professionals information on biohazardous agents in industry and the built environment to facilitate the recognition, evaluation, and control of their risks. A biohazardous agent is one of biological origin that has the capacity to produce deleterious effects upon humans, and includes organisms, toxins, and allergens.
Objective #1: Discuss and act upon biosafety and environmentally linked microbiological issues.
Strategies:
- Designate specific members to track and report on identified issues.
- Respond to AIHA Board requests to address specific issues.
- Meet at the AIHce and at other times as appropriate.
- Solicit papers; organize sessions; and provide session arrangers, chairs, and monitors for the AIHce.
- Communicate plans and activities to other AIHA committees that may be affected or concerned. Provide liaison support and technical assistance to other professional committees.
Objective #2: Provide education and training on Biosafety and Environmental Microbiology issues.
Strategies:
- Develop new PDCs and keep existing PDCs up to date.
- Prepare timely, relevant information for publication.
Goal: Actively participate in identifying and responding to biosafety and environmental microbiology issues.
Objective #3:
- Identify and report on hazardous microbiological agents and the occupations and environments in which they occur.
- Identify and provide guidance in evaluation and control techniques used for biological agents.
- Prepare publications concerning approaches for risk assessment, evaluation and control of biological agents.
- Identify, evaluate, and comment on proposed legislation, regulations, and standards affecting biological agents.
Strategies:
- Participate in the development of standards by organizations such as OSHA and NIOSH.
- Develop and recommend positions to the AIHA Board.
The Commiteee is a proud sponsor of:
The H. Kenneth Dillon Memorial Award 
The Ken Dillon Award is presented annually by AIHA’s Biosafety and Environmental Microbiology Committee in honor and memory of Dr. Ken Dillon, a former member of the committee, an AIHA fellow, and the principal instructor for several years of the top ten PDC “Prevention, Determination, and Remediation of Biological Contamination in Indoor Environments”.
The award, which entails a plaque and honorarium, is made to the best student poster presented at AIHce on a topic germane to the areas of Biosafety and Environmental Microbiology.
Winners
2009 Winner – AIHce Toronto, Ontario
Cleaning Office Environments of Microbial Contaminants
Recipients: L. Johnson, J.D. Miller, M. Smith, B. Fraser, L. Maheux. Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
2007 Winner – AIHce Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Comparison of the LAL & EIA Assays for Detecting (1-3) – ß- Glucan
Recipients: Y. Iossifova, C. Crawford, T. Reponen, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati; M. Daines, GK Khurana Hershey, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
2006 Winner – AIHce Chicago, Illinois
Modification and Amplification of a GC / MS Method for Endotoxin Analysis in Agricultural Dusts
Recipients: Rena Saito and Stephen Reynolds
2005 Winner – AIHce Anaheim, California
Airborne Antibiotic Exposures in Animal Feeding Operations
Recipient: Matthew W. Murphey
Staff Liaison: Angela Oler