[Intentional use of harmful biological agents in workplaces in Poland].

Abstract

Background: The work is a report on the intentional use of harmful biological agents in workplaces in Poland based on National Register of Biological Agents (Krajowy Rejestr Czynników Biologicznych - KRCB) as of June 2025.

Material and methods: The KRCB is a central database gathering notifications of the intentional use of biological agents in risk groups 2-4 in work processes in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Health of December 11, 2020, amending the regulation regarding biological agents.

Results: Notifications were sent by 749 enterprises for: diagnostic - 59.3%, research - 32.4% and industrial purposes - 8.1%. Notifications were most often sent by microbial laboratories (N = 438, 58.5%), scientific-research institutions (N = 229, 30.6%) and industrial enterprises (N = 82, 11.0%). In total, 7795 workers (87.6% women, 12.4% men) were exposed to biological agents intentionally used at work. Biological agents from risk groups 2 and 3 were used by 97.6% and 15.9% enterprises, respectively. The most frequently were used bacteria Escherichia coli (with the exception of non-pathogenic strains) - 4823 exposed workers (61.9%), Staphylococcus aureus - respectively 4655 (59.7%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa - 4188 (53.7%). National Register of Biological Agents gathered 9 notifications of intentionally using of the biological agent carcinogenic to humans, including viruses (hepatitis B virus [N = 2015 workers, 25.8%], hepatitis C virus [N = 1982, 25.4%], human immunodeficiency virus type 1 [N = 1796, 22.7%], Epstein-Barr virus [N = 196, 2.5%], human papilloma virus [N = 60, 0.8%], human herpes virus type 8 [N = 16, 0.2%], human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 [N = 38, 0.5%]), bacteria (Helicobacter pylori [N = 327, 4.2%]), parasite (Schistosoma haematobium [N = 9, 0.1%]).

Conclusions: Intentionally used biological agents most often pose a threat to workers of microbial laboratories, but a higher health risk concerns workers of scientific-research institutions. Med Pr Work Health Saf. 2026;77(1):11-26.