What is biosafety cabinet?
List and explain briefly the different types of biosafety cabinet?
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ChatGPT
Apr 23
A biosafety cabinet is a type of containment equipment used in laboratories to provide a safe working environment for handling hazardous biological materials. It helps protect the user, the environment, and the samples being worked on.
There are three main types of biosafety cabinets:
1. Class I biosafety cabinet: This type of cabinet provides personnel and environmental protection, but not product protection. It is suitable for working with low to moderate risk biological agents. Class I cabinets have a negative pressure system that draws air into the cabinet, filtering it before releasing it back into the laboratory.
2. Class II biosafety cabinet: This type of cabinet provides personnel, environmental, and product protection. It is the most commonly used biosafety cabinet in laboratories and is suitable for working with moderate to high-risk biological agents. Class II cabinets have a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter system that filters the air before recirculating it back into the laboratory.
There are three subtypes of Class II biosafety cabinets:
- Type A1: Provides personnel and environmental protection, suitable for working with low to moderate risk biological agents. - Type A2: Provides personnel, environmental, and product protection, suitable for working with moderate to high-risk biological agents. - Type B2: Provides personnel, environmental, and product protection, suitable for working with high-risk biological agents and volatile chemicals.
3. Class III biosafety cabinet: This type of cabinet provides the highest level of protection for personnel, environment, and samples. It is a completely enclosed, gas-tight cabinet with glove ports for handling samples. Class III cabinets are used for working with highly infectious biological agents and require the use of full-body protective suits and a separate air supply.
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Google Gemini AI
Apr 23
Biosafety Cabinet (BSC)
A biosafety cabinet is a specialized type of laboratory equipment designed to provide containment and protection for laboratory personnel, the environment, and materials from potentially hazardous biological agents.
Types of Biosafety Cabinets
Class I BSC:
- Provides primary containment and protects the user from aerosols generated within the cabinet. - Exhausts air from the cabinet's front opening to the outside. - Suitable for work with low-risk biological agents that do not require full containment.
Class II BSC:
- Provides primary and secondary containment, protecting the user, the environment, and materials. - Creates a sterile work zone within the cabinet using HEPA-filtered incoming and recirculated air. - Exhausts air through a HEPA filter to the outside. - Used for work with moderate-risk biological agents or where cross-contamination prevention is crucial.
Types of Class II BSCs:
- Type A2: HEPA-filtered air flows over the work surface and is exhausted through a HEPA filter. - Type B2: HEPA-filtered air is drawn down over the work surface and exhausted through a HEPA filter.
Class III BSC:
- Provides the highest level of containment and protection. - Encloses the work area completely in a gas-tight, negative-pressure environment. - All operations are performed through glove ports. - Used for work with highly hazardous biological agents that pose a significant risk of infection.