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Biosafety cabinets are essential for protecting laboratory personnel, the laboratory environment, and the work being conducted from biological contamination. There are three main types of biosafety cabinets, classified as Class I, Class II, and Class III, each designed for different levels of risk and containment requirements.
- Class I Biosafety Cabinet:
- Description: Class I cabinets provide personnel and environmental protection, but not product protection. They maintain a continuous airflow into the cabinet with a portion of the air exhausted to the outside.
- Use: Suitable for work involving low to moderate hazards, where the materials are not infectious or hazardous to the environment.
- Class II Biosafety Cabinet:
- Description: Class II cabinets offer personnel, product, and environmental protection. They recirculate a portion of the air through a HEPA filter back into the laboratory, while the rest is exhausted. This design helps to protect the work inside the cabinet from contamination.
- Subtypes:
- Class II A1: Suitable for work with moderate-risk agents.
- Class II A2: Larger workspace and higher airflow rates, suitable for work with moderate to high-risk agents.
- Class II B1: Similar to A2 but with additional features for working with volatile chemicals.
- Class II B2: Similar to B1 but with a higher level of containment for work with high-risk agents.
- Class III Biosafety Cabinet:
- Description: Class III cabinets are gas-tight, glove-box cabinets that provide the highest level of protection for personnel, the environment, and the work. All work is performed using gloves installed on the cabinet, and there is no direct access to the interior of the cabinet.
- Use: Designed for work with extremely hazardous agents that pose a high risk of infection and require the highest level of containment.
Each class of biosafety cabinet is designed to meet specific safety and containment needs, and the choice of cabinet depends on the level of risk associated with the work being conducted.