Biological Safety Cabinets Are Specialized

Biological safety cabinets are specialized containers/work stations that you might stumble upon while you are in a laboratory. These are ventilated enclosures that offer adequate protection to the researchers and the other laboratory workers, the products and also the environment from aerosols. With these cabinets, you can safely work with potentially hazardous micro-organisms and the continuous airflow that they work with is finally discharged with the help of the HEPA filter.

 

How do they protect us?

 

The biological cabinets are extensively used in the laboratories because of the impressive protection that they offer. Primarily there are three states of protection. They are:

 

�-�        They help us ensure personal protection from all the harmful agents that lie within the cabinet.

�-�        They make sure that our products are protected to avoid contamination of the samples.

�-�        They also help in protecting the environment from the contaminants that are contained within the cabinet.

 

Apart from this protection, it is important to know that Biological Safety Cabinets are mainly classified into three broad classes. They are classified based upon their containment capabilities while we work with the biological agents.

 

Class 1 Cabinets

These cabinets are known for the personal and environmental protection that they bring in. Furthermore, it is important to note that they are mostly used when working with low to moderate risk biological agents. Biosafety levels: 1, 2 and 3

 

Class 2 Cabinets

This class of cabinets helps in providing protection to personnel, environment and the other products. These cabinets are used when working with the biological agents that are known to cause low to moderate risk. Biosafety Levels: 1, 2 and 3

 

Class 3 Cabinets

These cabinets appear as highly specialized laboratory “glovebox”. Though these Class 3 provide the same kind of protection as a Class 2 they are designed for working with Biosafety Level 4. Highly infectious agents are grouped under this level. Besides, these cabinets help in extending the highest level of protection for the environment, product and the user. Therefore, note that you can use these cabinets when you are working with very high-risk biological agents. Biosafety Level: 4

 

What are Biosafety Levels?

Biosafety levels are specified levels around which the biological cabinets work. There are several biological levels as classified by the researchers, which are universally followed.

 

Here are four primary kinds of Biosafety levels:

 

Biosafety Level 1: This level is applied while you are working with the biological agents, which pose a minimal risk/threat to the laboratory personnel and the environment. If you are planning to work with these types of agents, you can perform your experiments in open laboratory cabinets. Besides, you can even perform these experiments without the use of special containment equipment.

 

Biosafety Level 2: This level applies when you are working with pathogenic or infectious organisms, ones that pose a moderate hazard to the laboratory personnel and the environment. For example, if you are working with Salmonellae, Hepatitis B virus and Measles virus, you are working under this biosafety level.

 

Biosafety Level 3: This level is applied when you are working with indigenous or exotic agents. These are classified as substances that have the potential to cause serious or lethal diseases via aerosol transmission. For example, if you are working with agents like Yellow Fever and Encephalitis, then you are deemed to be working under this level.

 

Biosafety Level 4: This is the final level and the most dangerous one, demanding acute attention of the workers and the staff. Furthermore, the laboratories working at this level are specially certified and equipped with all the modern technologies in order to carry such experiments. This level of biosafety applies when you are working with extremely dangerous, contagious and life-threatening agents. Working at this level demands maximum containment and protection at all times. For example, if you are working with Ebola, the Lassa virus and any other samples that are impregnated with unknown risks of pathogenicity and transmission.

 

Key Highlights of the Biological Cabinets

 

There are three prominent classes of biological safety cabinets and each of them works in different sets of principles:

 

Class 1 Biological Safety Cabinets

 

The Class 1 biological safety cabinet helps to ensure proper protection for the personnel and the environment protection and helps to make safe handling possible when working with chemicals and powders.

 

These cabinets aren’t appropriate for handling research materials that are susceptible to airborne contamination. This is because the inward flow of unfiltered air from the laboratory can carry microbial contaminants inside the cabinet.

 

Class 2 Biological Safety Cabinets

 

The Class 2 Biological Safety cabinet must meet the requirements for personnel, environmental and product protection. The triple filter cabinets are the ideal choice of cabinets for working with hazardous materials such as cytostatic, virus manipulation and category 3 pathogens.

 

Class 3 Biological Safety Cabinets

 

This class of cabinets are aerosol-tight enclosures, with non-opening, completely sealed, front window. Here there is a physical barrier separating the agents and their operators. These types of cabinets are often referred to as ”Glovebox”.

 

Author Bio:

 

Globallabsupply.com offers each type of lab equipment including Biological Safety Cabinets. They supply Laboratory Incubators as well as give you enough guarantee periods to fix issues suddenly if there is anything.