Biological Safety Cabinet Overview

Study Notes

A device that protects workers from aerosol exposure and infectious disease agents.
Sterilizes air using heat, UV light, or a HEPA filter.
Three types of BSC: Class I, Class II, and Class III.

Open-fronted, negative pressure, ventilated cabinet.
Allows room air to enter the cabinet, circulate, and expose the material within.
Only exhaust air is filtered using a HEPA filter.
Used for BSL 2 and 3 agents.

Also known as laminar flow BSC.
Commonly used in clinical microbiology laboratories.
Sterilizes air using a HEPA filter.
Air flows directly over infectious material and is exhausted.
Used for BSL 2 and 3 agents.
Two types:
- Class IIA - has fixed openings; 70% of air is recirculated.
- Class IIB - variable sash opening; used for chemicals, radioisotopes, and carcinogens.

Provides the highest level of safety to the worker.
Air entering and exiting the cabinet is HEPA filtered.
Infectious material within the cabinet is handled with rubber gloves attached and sealed to the cabinet.

Universal Precautions: Treating all blood, tissue, body fluids, and OPIM (other potentially infectious materials) as infectious.
Engineering and Work Practice Controls: Physical steps to isolate or remove potential pathogen hazards from the workplace. Examples: Sharp’s containers, biological safety cabinets, laboratory fume hoods, proper hand washing, banning of eating, smoking, and drinking.
Personal Protective Equipment: Gloves, eye and face protection, protective body clothing.

Contamination of food or environment with microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites).
Describes the event where foreign materials or substances can cause foodborne illnesses enter food materials.
Contaminated sites can impact human health and the environment based on the type of contaminant, concentration, location, exposure mechanism, and exposure level.