Researchers use biosafety cabinet
to protect themselves from harmful chemicals during experimentation. It
preserves the exact quality of the sample being tested by filtering out
the inflow and exhaust air. Biosafety cabinets come in several designs
and provide various levels of protection to the investigator and the
research material. So, let’s explore the three classes of biosafety
cabinets:
Class 1 cabinet
This
ventilated cabinet provides protection to the personnel and environment
from hazardous laboratory substances. Every accessory comes with a
constraint, and a class 1 cabinet isn’t an exception in this regard.
Their airflow pattern is similar to a fume hood with a HEPA filter at
the exhaust outlet. Being the most basic biosafety cabinet, class 1
cabinets are used to enclose certain equipment like centrifuges. The
cabinets of this class can either be ducted or not ducted.
Class 2 cabinet
Biosafety
Class 2 cabinets have a fan mounted at the top that emits sterile air
over the experiment area. The makeup air of a class 2 cabinet is also
HEPA-filtered like the class 1 cabinet type. Class 2 cabinets are
further divided into five types based on their embedded mechanism and
exhaust system type:
Type A1: These cabinets have an inflow velocity of 75ft/min.
Type A2: A2 cabinets come with an inflow velocity of 100 ft/min.
Type B1: B1 cabinets use single-pass airflow to curb the emission of hazardous gases.
Type B2: Here, the air is drawn from an opening that is positioned at the top of the cabinet.
Type
C1: C1 cabinets function by implementing the single-pass airflow
system. In this type, the cabinets shuffle the air by blending it with
the downflow air.
Class 3 cabinet
Class
3 ventilated cabinets are leak-tight, unlike class 1 and 2 cabinets.
Here, the air enters or leaves through a HEPA filter. Class 3 biosafety
cabinet have rubber gloves attached to the system that is used during
cabinet operations. One unique feature of this cabinet is that it has a
transfer chamber that sterilizes the materials in the glove box. The
gloves don’t allow contact between the samples and the operator.
Biosafety class 3 cabinets are used in particular laboratories where the
lab equipment is manufactured inside the chamber. With all these
designs and structural features, maximum protection is guaranteed to the
sample, the operator, and the environment.
As
you can understand, these cabinets are extremely useful in research
labs as they offer optimum protection to the investigator, sample, and
environment. Not everyone can use these cabinets as they have a specific
way of functioning. Undoubtedly, these high-end accessories have
simplified the work of researchers in more ways than one.
Are you looking for the best biosafety cabinet to meet your research needs? If you feel so, then www.igenels.com
has all the answers for you. In this platform, you get access to a wide
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think? Buy the one that fits your requirements.