BIOSAFETY CABINET – VS – FUME HOOD

Biosafety cabinets utilize HEPA filters to provide environmental, personnel and/or product protection.  Fume hoods are ventilated enclosures that remove hazardous chemical fumes and volatile vapers from the laboratory, providing personnel protection ONLY. Both can recirculate or exhaust filtered air, depending on your application, and are suitable for work with hazardous particulates and viruses.

Biosafety cabinets and fume hoods are both referred to as hoods, and they are built to safely handle the hazards of the science for which they are particularly designed, however they are two entirely different categories of laboratory equipment.

COMMON POINTS
Common points, when selecting a hood for a laboratory.

• PROTECTION – Knowing what type of protection you will require is the first step in selecting the proper laboratory enclosure.
  1. Fume Hoods – provide only personnel protection
  2. Biosafety cabinets provide environmental, personnel and product protection.
     
     
• AIRFLOW
  1. Biosafety Cabinet – there are three (3) classes of biosafety cabinets, and all have one (1) feature in common. HEPA filtration.
     1. Class 1 – air is drawn away from the laboratory worker and across the work surface.
     2. Class II – Intake air is drawn safety around the operator, sterile air flows downward onto the work surface and exhaust air is HEPA filtered before it is either recirculated in the lab or released into the atmosphere through ductwork or a canopy connection.
     3. Class III – Gas Tight enclosures, with both intake air and exhaust air passing through the HEPA filtration.

1. Fume Hood – Because fume hoods handle hazardous chemicals, air is drawn away from the laboratory worker, beginning at the face of the equipment, across the work surface and through ductwork where it is diluted and released into the atmosphere.

• APPLICATIONS
  1. Biosafety cabinets provide a safe environment for research involving infectious microorganisms or other hazardous particulates.
  2. Fume hoods can be used to handle the following: odorous materials, toxic gases, reactive materials, chemicals that can spatter, aerosols, carcinogens, flammables or other toxic and volatile materials.

 Carefully select the proper enclosure for your intended operation.  Using the appropriate equipment helps ensure optimal protection of both the personnel with the lab as well as the space itself.  It can also preserve the integrity of your work.  Other relevant lab equipment can include glove boxes, benches and balance enclosures. 

Scientific Instrument Center, Inc. certifies fume hoods, biosafety cabinets, and clean rooms.  Certifications are to meet ANSI/ASHRAE 110 for fume hoods and NSF 49 for biosafety cabinets.

To inquire about our services, you may contact us or give us a call at (614) 771-4700.   We are here to answer any questions you may have.