American Biological Safety Association Collection

Collection

Identifier: MS0359

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) Records contain materials dating from 1949 to 2007. The earliest material predates the official founding of ABSA, and the most recent materials document the 50th Annual Biological Safety Conference in 2007. The bulk of the materials span from the mid 1960s to the mid 1990s. Items contained within the collection include correspondence, meeting minutes, conference programs and proceedings, photographs, and publications.

Organizational Information is found in Series I-VII. These files include the constitution and bylaws in draft and final form, committee records such as meeting minutes and policies, membership information, certification and professional registration information, financial records, presidential files and executive correspondence files.

A large portion of the collection deals with annual biological safety conferences (Series VIII). This section consists of conference programs and proceedings, post-conference reports, and correspondence between ABSA officers, members, vendors and speakers, relating to the conferences. Additionally, photographs of conference attendees and speakers can be found in Series X.

Series IX contains publications, including a history of Fort Detrick, which was home to early biological warfare research during World War II; Safety Bulletins, published by Safety Division, Fort Detrick; and a Fort Detrick publication entitled Defense Against Toxin Weapons.

Photographs are found in Series X. Subjects pictured include attendees and speakers at biological safety conferences, in both candid and posed photographs, and lab equipment and personnel using equipment. This series contains both professional and amateur photography.

Series XI consists of a Slit Sampler, a device used to collect and count samples of atmospheric dust or air-borne bacteria.

The collection contains few materials prior to 1964. There is no documentation of the biological safety conferences held between 1955 and 1963, and documentation of subsequent conferences is incomplete.

The American Biological Safety Association is an active national organization with international affiliates and since the National Agricultural Library is a repository for this organization, the collection will continue to grow. Each series, subseries and sub-subseries begins with a folder numbered one to accommodate for future growth of the collection.

Dates

Creation: 1950-2013
Creation: Majority of material found within 1964-1998

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Organizational History

The American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) was founded in 1984 to promote biosafety as a scientific discipline. Its goals are to provide a professional association that represents the interests and needs of practitioners of biological safety, and to provide a forum for the exchange of biosafety information.

Biographical / Historical

The American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) was founded in 1984 to promote biosafety as a scientific discipline and to serve the growing needs of biosafety professionals throughout the world. Biosafety concerns the safe handling of biological materials, particularly infectious agents that cause risk to humans working with them.

Although ABSA was officially founded in 1984, almost 30 years earlier, on April 18, 1955, 14 representatives from Camp Detrick, Maryland; Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas; and Dugway Proving Grounds, Utah met at Camp Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. The purpose of the meeting was to share knowledge and experiences regarding chemical, biological, radiological, and industrial safety issues that were common to the operations at the three principal biological warfare laboratories of the United States Army: the Biological Research Laboratories at Camp Detrick, the Biological Production and Development Laboratories at Pine Bluff Arsenal, and the Biological Assessment Laboratories at Dugway Proving Grounds. This meeting was the first biological safety conference. Due to the nature of the work conducted at the biological warfare laboratories, papers presented at the conference had to be cleared in advance by security officers and attendance was restricted to persons with top secret security clearances.

Beginning in 1957, the biological safety conferences were planned to include non-classified sessions to enable broader sharing of biological safety information with personnel not associated with the United States Army biological warfare programs. But it was not until 1964 that the conference was held at a government installation not associated with the biological warfare program; the National Animal Disease Laboratory, in Ames, Iowa. Over the first 10 years, the biological safety conferences grew to include representatives from all federal agencies that sponsored and/or conducted research with pathogenic microorganisms, and by 1966 included representatives from universities, private laboratories, hospitals, industrial complexes, and 17 government installations.

Throughout the 1970s, participation in the conferences continued to grow, and by 1983, discussions began regarding the creation of a formal organization. The American Biological Safety Association was officially established and a constitution and bylaws were written in 1984; however, the constitution was not ratified by members until 1987.

As of 2008, ABSA membership includes over 1,600 professionals from across the nation, and over 20 countries, including Brazil, Canada, and Japan. Its goals are to provide a professional association that represents the interests and needs of practitioners of biological safety, and to provide a forum for the continued and timely exchange of biosafety information. In addition to conducting annual biological safety conferences to keep members informed of current biosafety issues and regulatory initiatives, and offering registration and certification, ABSA publishes and distributes a quarterly journal, Applied Biosafety, and conducts a selection of biosafety courses geared at the beginner and advanced levels. In addition, ABSA produces an annual membership directory to stimulate networking. ABSA is committed to its members in four broad areas: developing and maintaining professional standards for the field of biological safety; advancing biological safety as a scientific discipline through education and research; providing members sustained opportunities for biosafety communication, education, and participation in the development of biological safety standards, guidelines and regulations; and expanding biosafety awareness and promoting the development of work practices, equipment, and facilities to reduce the potential for occupational illness and adverse environmental impact from infectious agents or biologically derived materials.

Total Size of Collection

3 records_box

10 letter_document_box

2 boxes (1 hardside suitcase; 1 box, 11.5 x 17.5 x 3.5 box)

12.5 Linear Feet (15 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Content Description

The American Biological Safety Association Collection contains conference, administrative, and publication records of the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA). Materials include photographs of conference attendees (with captions), conference publications, membership directories, ABSA newsletters, ABSA governing laws, digital copies of "Safety Bulletin," and administrative files regarding conference planning, annual meetings, membership, meeting minutes, newsletters, and the Arnold G. Wedum Memorial Lecture materials.

Bibliography

Barbeito, Manuel S. and Richard H. Kruse "A History of the American Biological Safety Association Part I: The First Ten Biological Safety Conferences 1955 - 1965." Journal of the American Biological Safety Association, 1997, 2(3): 7-19.

Barbeito, Manuel S. and Richard H. Kruse "A History of the American Biological Safety Association Part II: Safety Conferences 1966 - 1977." Journal of the American Biological Safety Association, 1997, 2(4): 10-25.

Barbeito, Manuel S. and Richard H. Kruse "A History of the American Biological Safety Association Part III: Safety Conferences 1978 - 1987." Journal of the American Biological Safety Association, 1997, 3(1): 11-25.

Bourdillon, R.B., O. M. Lidwell; John C. Thomas. "A Slit Sampler for Collecting and Counting Air-Borne Bacteria," The Journal of Hygiene. 1941, v.14, n.2.

Kuehne, Ralph W. and Herbert M. Decker. "Studies on Continuous Sampling of Serratia marcescens Using a Slit Sampler." Applied Environmental Microbiology. 1957. v.5: 281-343.