Biosafety cabinets (BSCs) are one type of biocontainment equipment used in biological laboratories to provide personnel, environmental, and product protection.
There are several designs of biosafety cabinets which provide different levels of protection to the worker and to the research material. There are three classes of biosafety cabinets designated in the United States: Class I, Class II, and Class III. Class I biosafety cabinets are infrequently used and provide personnel and environmental protection but no product protection. Class II and Class III cabinets provide personnel, environmental, and product protection. Class II biosafety cabinets are widely used in biological research laboratories and are differentiated into types such as A1, A2, B1, or B2.