labacquired

Labacquired is an adjective conventionally written as lab-acquired or laboratory-acquired, used to describe phenomena that are acquired within a laboratory setting. In common usage, it most often refers to laboratory-acquired infections (LAIs), illnesses contracted by laboratory workers after exposure to infectious agents or contaminated materials. The term is general enough to describe other forms of contamination or data that originate in a lab, but its most frequent application is biosafety-related.

LAIs occur when exposure risks are not adequately controlled, due to lapses in biosafety practices, equipment failure, procedural mistakes, or insufficient training. Risks vary by agent and setting, and are mitigated through layered controls, including proper containment, engineering controls, personal protective equipment, vaccination where appropriate, and rigorous waste handling. Institutions work under biosafety frameworks that classify work into biosafety levels (BSL-1 to BSL-4) and require oversight by biosafety committees.

Historical emphasis on lab safety has grown as laboratories handle a wider range of agents and technologies. Labacquired incidents have prompted updates to training, facility design, incident reporting, and regulatory oversight. The term also appears in occupational health literature to quantify and analyze exposure outcomes, inform risk assessments, and guide prevention strategies.

See also: Biosafety, Laboratory safety, Laboratory-acquired infection, Infections control, Biosecurity.