Understanding biosafety cabinet and their types

 

Biological safety cabinets, or BSCs, are vented hoods or workplaces that allow pathogens, pollutants, and other potentially dangerous materials to be handled safely.

Biosafety cabinets and microbiological safety cabinets are terms used to describe this type of equipment. They're also known as gloveboxes when they're equipped with glove systems.

The primary goal of a biosafety cabinet is to keep biological pollutants and other dangerous items away from the operator and the surrounding environment. There are several types of biological safety cabinets, each with its own set of requirements for biosafety and containment, as well as cabinetry configuration. The appropriate class and type are chosen based on the needs of the specific application and the required level of bio-containment.

Classes and Types of Biological Safety Cabinets (BSC)

• Class I Biological Safety Cabinet

Personnel and environmental protection are provided by Class I BSCs, however product protection is not provided. In terms of air circulation, the Class I BSC is comparable to a chemical fume hood. The Class I BSC, unlike a chemical fume hood, features a HEPA filtration system that manages the air leaving the unit, protecting the environment.

• Class II Biological Safety Cabinet

For a variety of low- to moderate-risk products, Class II hoods provide people, environmental, and product protection. In research, clinical, industrial, and pharmaceutical settings, these biological safety cabinets are used. Airflow is drawn into the front grille of Class II cabinets, providing personnel protection. Furthermore, the downward flow of HEPA-filtered air protects products by reducing the risk of cross-contamination across the hood's work surface. Exhaust air is filtered with a certified HEPA filter to safeguard the environment from particulates. In addition to a wide range of therapeutic and research applications, these hoods are often utilised in hospital pharmacies.

• Class III Biological Safety Cabinet

In addition to a wide range of therapeutic and research applications, these hoods are often utilised in hospital pharmacies. A gas-tight enclosure with a non-opening view window, the Class III BSC is a gas-tight enclosure with a non-opening view window. Materials are passed into the cabinet by a dunk tank accessible via the cabinet floor or a double-door pass-through box (e.g., an autoclave steriliser) that can be decontaminated in between uses. Materials can be safely withdrawn from the cabinet by reversing the process.

Clean air workbenches and ordinary laminar flow workstations are not the same as biosafety cabinets (BSCs). BSCs are not the same as standard horizontal or vertical laminar flow clean benches. HEPA filtration and positive pressure air are employed to safeguard the product in a typical laminar flow clean bench, but not the user. The primary goal of a basic biological safety cabinet is to guard both the worker and the environment from risks within the cabinet, rather than the product itself. The Class I BSC isn't meant to protect products.

BSCs in Class II and III are designed to safeguard both the product and the worker as well as the environment. According to specific regulatory requirements for product protection, worker protection, and environmental protection, the right class and type of BSC is chosen.