Biological Safety Cabinet

Prepared by Farid Khalaf

Protect the worker .

Protect the sample being analyzed .

Protect the environment

The biological safety cabinet is used to:

Illustration of a biological safety cabinet

Is a chamber generally constructed of steel.It has : Front glass window of adjustable height,

Ventilation system with an electrical motor generating negative pressure inside the cabinet.

High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter (Removes 99.99% of 0.3 µm particles).

The biological safety cabinet

Class I Biological Safety Cabinet

Class II Biological Safety Cabinet

Class III Biological Safety Cabinet

There are three types of biological safety cabinets

Types of B.S.C

The Class I Biosafety Cabinet

The Class I biosafety cabinet provides protection to the operator and the environment but not the sample in the cabinet

It has similar air flow as a chemical fume hood, but has a HEPA filter in the exhaust .

This older class of biosafety cabinet is rarely seen in biomedical and microbiological laboratories.

The Class II BSC is an open-front, ventilated cabinet.

Protection offered: To the operator, the sample and environment.

Suitable for working with agents with biosafety level 1, 2 or 3.

Filtration system: two HEPA filters,

They recycle approximately 70 % of the air volume and renew 30 % of it.

While HEPA filters are effective for trapping particulates and infectious agents, these filters will not capture volatile chemicals or gases .

Class II BSC

Class II BSC

The Class III cabinet is a totally enclosed ventilated cabinet.

Operations within the Class III cabinet are conducted through attached rubber gloves.

Supply air is drawn into the cabinet through HEPA filters. The cabinet exhaust air is filtered by two HEPA filters, installed in series, before discharge outside of the facility.

Protection provided: to the operator, the product and the environment.

Suitable for working with agents classified biosafety level 4.

Class III BSC

Offer only personnel protection Always exhaust air to the outside

Do not offer protection to the product or the environment, as there is no filtration of intake and exhaust air (Sometimes air cleaning treatment is added to the exhaust.)

Used for work with chemical hazards

Chemical Fume Hood

Fume Hood

Fumehood - keep hood clean, sash should be closed when hood is not in use, equipment should be 9” from sash

1.A laboratory area protected from air currents from windows or air-conditioning systems.

2.An electrical connection equipped with the respective control and safety elements; the electrical outlet with a ground pole.

3.The floor on which it is located must be flat and leveled.

4.The free space around the cabinet and the height of the room recommended by the manufacturer must be respected.

5.Gas connections must be in the immediate vicinity of the cabinet in order to facilitate the connection to these service valves.

6.The cabinet must be certified annually.

Installation requirements

Airflow patterns in Biological Safety Cabinets and Laminar Flow Hoods..flv

Biosafety cabinet (BSC)- Demonstration of airflow using a smoke pencil.flv