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BIOLOGICAL
SAFETY CABINET
GUIDE
THREE WAYS TO DETERMINE WHAT BIOLOGICAL
SAFETY CABINET YOUR LAB NEEDS
Ryan Ackerman
2017
PERSONNEL MUST WORK TOGETHER
Mike May PhD
MANUFACTURER LIST
Biological Safety Cabinet
Determine What The style and build of a BSC can be directly influenced by
sample type, processes, and reagents used in the BSC. For
Cabinet Your Lab explosion hazard) from forming. Also, if the work requires
flammable liquids, chemicals, isotopes, or radionuclides, this
Choosing the
1. Why is it important to be mindful of your Best Biosafety
sample types before purchasing a BSC?
Understanding the types of samples being handled will Cabinet for Your
determine the type of BSC required. BSCs come in three
main categories, Classes I, II, and III, with appropriate
sub categories for each. The BSL rating of the samples,
Application
the type of reagents and processes used, and the level of WATCH
contamination protection required for the samples will THE VIDEO
impact which BSC will be the best fit.
Biological Safety with things that they dont need. Even worse, she sees people
putting Bunsen burners inside. This causes big problems,
Work Together To use a BSC safely, says Sondrini, a scientist must think
about how it works. Once you understand the airflows and
how fragile the filters are, you learn what to not do, she says.
When working with a biological safety cabinet To help show scientists the way a BSC works, Sondrinis team
(BSC), safety comes first. Nonetheless, its easy uses smoke and particle counters in the safety classes, which
to make mistakes that can compromise a BSCs her company has been teaching for more than 25 years.
performance.
By Mike May PhD Prepare a plan
To ensure using a BSC in the safest way, you need a plan.
One of the most common mistakes while working in the Make sure that you have an entire plan of how you will get
cabinet is to cover the front grill, where the air enters, says in and out of the BSC, says Deborah Thibodeaux, science
Mary Ann Sondrini, executive director at the Eagleson director at The Baker Company (Sanford, ME).
Institute (Sanford, ME).
That disrupts the airflow, That plan must include
compromising both how you handle items that
personnel and product you will use. For example,
protection. It might Thibodeaux says, Ive
seem convenient to set seen peopleI see this
somethinglike a rack of constantlyopen pipettes
test tubesover the grill, but outside the cabinet before
its definitely not safe. using them inside the
cabinet. It introduces
In addition, a scientist anything contaminated
needs to be aware of the outside the cabinet into it.
movements that he or she
makes in and around a BSC. The plan, she says, should
For example, Sondrini says include wearing gloves.
that you should move your Many scientists think the
arms in and out of the cabinet is clean, so they
cabinet slowly. At NuAire LabGard ES Air Class II, Type A2 BSC BioChemGARD e3 Class II Type B2 BSC dont need gloves. But
(Plymouth, MN), marketing gloves should be worn, and
director John D. Peters agrees. He says, Arm movements will they must be sterile. Spray the gloves with 70 percent ethanol
disrupt unidirectional laminar airflow within the work zone or bleach, Thibodeaux says. That way the gloves dont
and the air barrier at the front of the cabinet. That starts a contaminate the cabinet with something from the outside.
chain reaction of problems. As Peters says, This disruption
could cause air turbulence, increasing the odds of product Beyond cleaning your gloves, Thibodeaux also reminds
cross contamination within the work zone. In general, scientists to clean the BSCs surface. That means using a
keeping down the turbulence inside a BSC improves safety cleaner approved for your lab or 70 percent ethanol; soak the
inside and out. For example, Peters says, it prevents the surfaces and let it go a minute, or five minutes if you can, she
unwanted spread of aerosols or splatter of liquids. says. Then you can wipe it dry, but let the cabinet run a few
more minutes to resettle the airflow.
Also, be sure to take a look inside your BSC to see whether
you are making any mistakes there. For instance, Sondrini The plan should also include what to do if something goes
says that people commonly clutter the inside of the cabinets wrong. Imagine that a BSC indicator shows that a filter is no
Up to speed
Isotopes
In general, keeping a BSC running keeps it safer but can Rumors of the demise of radiolabeling are very
consume more energy. Some BSCs come with a night mode, much exaggerated
though, in which the viewing screen can be closed, the lights By Angelo DePalma PhD
are shut off, and the airflow is reduced.
The longer a BSC runs the more impact on the filter, which
gets loaded over time. Some BSCs have a magnehelic gauge
that gives a general idea of how much filter loading has
taken place. As a filter loads with particulates, some BSCs
automatically adjust the fan speed as needed to ensure
adequate airflow for safety.
Some processes that natively do not require the protection of a BSC nearby workers to isotopes. Its also possible to change the
and that use low levels of low-energy isotopes such as tritium may protective level of a BSC by swapping out the sash.
be more easily carried out on a benchtop (although in this writers
experience, virtually all isotope work is carried out in a dedicated, But retrofitters should be aware that many modifications will
preferably enclosed, workspace that might as well be a BSC). negate the NSF certification. Thats the reason OEMs dont do
those mods in the first place, Garrett says. It would invalidate
According to Garrett, if a BSC is required, then all isotope or the certification for safety under NSF/ANSI 49.
otherwise hazardous work should be conducted in ducted BSCs
only. At this level, a Class A2 with a canopy will not protect Good radiological practice within BSCs
you, because it has internal recirculation. Fume hoods and type The first rule is to work with as low a dose as possible, and make
B and the new type C BSCs employ single-pass airflow in order sure you have the proper shielding in your work area regardless of
to dilute and remove contaminants that cannot be trapped by whether its in a BSC or on a benchtop, advises Kara Held, PhD,
HEPA filters. Radiological contaminants often require single-pass science director at The Baker Company (Sanford, ME). Always
airflow so that the filters trapping the emitters are contained. You do a dry run first before you unpackage the radioisotope, and make
might even consider moving to a true fume hood or perhaps a sure the BSC used for radioactive work is appropriately labeled.
Type B cabinet or one of the newer Type C units.
Operators may use Class II A2 BSCs, the most common cabinet
Add-ons and retrofits found in labs, for trace quantities of low-energy isotopes, but
Unfortunately, modifications for isotope work are the note that these systems use recirculated air. Beyond that, Held
responsibility of the purchaser, with a little help from body recommends Class II B2 BSCs, which are fully exhausted and hard-
shops that retrofit BSCs for every imaginable hazard or ducted to the laboratory ventilation system. This way, you will not
specialty application. Users should consult with health physics be exposing yourself or your process to recirculated isotopes.
or plant safety personnel when specifying modifications.
Stainless steel may provide sufficient shielding, even for some Which raises the point of why not simply use a fume hood?
gamma-emitting isotopes, depending on the quantities used, Many labs actually do this. But keep in mind that a BSC
but third-party vendors can line boxes with lead if necessary. offers significantly better protection for the worker and the
experiment. BSCs provide directional airflow through a HEPA
Simple protective equipment like Plexiglas for shielding the filter that flows down onto your experiment, whereas a fume
strong beta emitter 32P is available from many suppliers. 32P hood only intakes room air and vents it. Fume hoods provide
has a very short half-life, about two weeks, so cleanup, while good protection, but your best bet is a Class II B2.
desirable, is not as critical as it is for the gamma emitter 125I,
with a half-life of two months, or 35S, another beta emitter Held also suggests implementing a directional workflow, working
with a three-month half-life. For most experiments, tritium and left to right or clean to dirty. Clean work materials would be on the
14C require no special protection except for a good exhaust left, work occurs in the center, and waste is kept on the right. This
system, unless labeled materials are gaseous or easily airborne. minimizes the likelihood of cross-contamination and concentrates
waste and contamination in one small area.
Prevention and cleaning are the keys
No matter how carefully one works within dedicated isotope Held feels strongly about retrofits. Always contact the BSC
workspaces, most eventually become chronically hot. Disposable manufacturer before you cut large holes or make any other
pads that are absorbent above and liquid-proof below are a must significant alteration, because those changes can alter the BSC
for work surfaces, and stainless steel surfaces are the easiest to clean. function and level of protection.
If you work regularly with isotopes, your site safety personnel
have probably devised a monitoring protocol based on swiping Baker offers some retrofitting to accommodate radioisotope work.
the insides and outsides of the BSC and perhaps some random We know these retrofits are safe. But speak to our customer
surrounding areas as well, and then checking the swipes in a liquid support people before doing anything on your own. Its critical for
scintillation counter for beta emitters or a suitable gamma detector. your safety and the safety of your product that the cabinet remain
within certification after physical changes, she says.
Since the air filter will probably become contaminated as well, _________________________________________________
Garrett advises changing it with care. A bag-in-bag-out air
filter allows for removing the exhaust filter without exposing
Maintenance the most crucial part of your ductless fume hood and the
guarantor of your health and safety.
Matters: Biological Erlab (Rowley, MA) hoods in particular, can have up to a 25-year
Safety Cabinets lifespan if they are maintained correctly, she adds. Other ways
to keep fume hoods in top shape include keeping track of the
and Ductless Fume hoods intended use and chemicals utilized, and to notify the
manufacturer of any changes in use. Erlabs PhD chemists
Hoods evaluate the chemical used, the filters retention capacity for each
one, and how long the filter will last, Borzecki says. Replacing
the filters as suggested by our lab is the key to safety.
For lab equipment as essential to protecting
employees safety as biological safety cabinets
(BSCs) and ductless fume hoods, making sure Helpful Resources to Consult
youre looking after such equipment properly is
crucial. By: Rachel Muenz Onsite biosafety officer or environmental
health officer
State or national organizations such as
National Institutes of Health, Centers for
Disease Control, Health Canada, etc.
Local service company
Certifiers
Vendors technicians/safety specialists
Training programs offered by the vendor
or other experts
Can be either direct from the manufacturer or Many users assume that their filter is not saturated because
a third-party service company they do not smell an odor, Borzecki explains. But many
For Erlab ductless hoods in particular, chemicals do not have an easily detectable odor.
enrollment in the Erlab Safety Program, (E.S.P.)
is automatic when users purchase their hood, She adds many users dont know the full list of chemicals used
giving them eligibility for the companys in their hoods.
extended warranty program.
NuAire utilizes a network of third party It is important to know the chemicals used and have a
and onsite facilities service personnel (i.e. chemical analysis completed by the manufacturer and posted
university, pharmaceutical, etc.) on the unit, Borzecki says. Any chemical not on the list
should not be used in the hood without prior approval by the
manufacturer. The chemical analysis determines the type of
This [motor failure] can be recognized by viewing your airflow filter that will be used depending on the chemicals.
monitoring device and, more importantly, there will be no noise
and no air being pulled into the BSC, he says. Users can leave the unit running continuously to clean the
air in the lab but this will shorten the life of the filter. And,
Users can easily replace light bulbs themselves, but Peters as with any ductless fume hood, storage of chemicals is not
recommends they contact their service professional to replace recommended in the hood for safety reasons.
the motor. _________________________________________________
All BSC maintenance, including certification and repair, must be Biological safety cabinets provide effective containment for lab
done by a qualified technician who is familiar with the unit.He rec- workers working with human pathogens. Three are three separate
ommends users set up and follow SOPs to avoid cleaning errors and classes of BSCs available: Class I, II and III; some with additional
that, if disinfectants use chlorides or halogens, users should re- sub-class levels.
wipe all surfaces with 70 percent alcohol or similar non-corrosive
anti-microbial agent to prevent damage to stainless steel surfaces. Start searching for a new BSC now.
_________________________________________________
Featured Manufacturers
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