Lab cabinets: Looks the same, but different?

Hi folks,

I've been receiving some feedbacks about people using the wrong cabinet for their application. I was horrified when i found out that someone did an acid digestion inside a Biosafety cabinet and another doing a microbial analysis inside a laminar flow. Imagine the risk of exposure the operator is putting to himself, more so to the people working around as well. Ignorance in the lab is unforgivable if it means putting anyone's life in jeopardy.


I can't further re-iterate  how important it is to know the basics about your cabinet to maintain a safe environment for everyone. They make look the same but these three functions vary differently and must be used appropriately to afford the correct user protection.


Spot the Difference

Below is a photo showing the airflow of these three cabinets. It also shows what kind of protection it provides. If you look into it closely, you would see how different they are when it comes to its airflow pattern.  Now, take your time, go through again and let's see if you're able to spot more differences.

Applications
The laminar flow and the fume hood operates in an opposite fashion while the BSC is sort of a combination of both. This somehow confuses many people into thinking that they can perform into a BSC what they normally do with a fume hood since it can offer both protection for the sample and the operator. Think again and read through why this can't be done.

Laminar Flow Clean Bench
The airflow pattern for a laminar flow clean bench forces the HEPA-filtered air down across the workspace and out toward the user and the lab. Hence, it does not provide protection for the user from chemically hazardous or infectious materials such as particulate, volatile hazards and aerosols. That's why this type of cabinet is only useful for device assembly, electronics inspection, drug preparation, media preparation, etc.

Fume Hoods
A fume hood's airflow is the opposite of the laminar flow, hence the type of protection it affords is also the reverse. It offers operator protection but not for the samples. This type of cabinet is the most suitable if application involves hazardous and corrosive substances such as acids, solvents, bases, volatile liquids, dusts, mists, etc.

Biosafety Cabinets
Biological safety cabinets must be used when one has to afford additional protection for both the user and the environment. Depending on the level of protection you sought, BSCs are classified into several classes (I, II and III). Class I BSCs protect the user and the environment but not the sample, so this type of cabinet is quite not common in the marketplace.

Class II BSCs are important for applications that require a sterile, particulate-free environment such as when doing cell culture experiments and drug preparations. It offers sample protection and as well the user as well.

Class III BSCs are typically for those who wants maximum protection from biosafety level 4 contaminants/ agents such as aerosols, pathogens or toxins. This type of cabinet is also known as glove boxes or barrier isolators.