Class II A2 Biosafety Cabinets

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Biosafety Cabinets (BSCs) and Biological Safety Levels (BSLs): Breaking Down the Differences

What is a BSL?

Biological Safety Level (BSL) is a biocontainment designation developed by the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) to protect personnel from exposure to harmful, potentially pathogenic microbes in a research or manufacturing environment.

What differentiates BSL designations from one another?

In the United States, the Center for Disease Control specified four general Biosafety Levels, adopted from the ABSA designations. Each increasing BSL corresponds to greater risk, building upon the previous level to provide greater protection.

BSL-1: for work with well-characterized microbes that do not present a serious health risk, such as laboratory strains of E. coli. This designation does not require engineering controls (i.e. a biosafety cabinet) and can be carried out on the bench with minimal personal protective equipment.
BSL-2: for work with moderately hazardous microbes known to cause infectious diseases in humans. An example of this would be Staphylococcus aureus. This level requires the use of a biological safety cabinet with negative-pressure containment, and exhausted air must be filtered prior to release.
BSL-3: for work with potentially lethal microbes that are easily aerosolized, such Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This level requires restricted access to the work environment, immunization of personnel (where available), and the use of respirators. Work must be performed in a primary engineering control such as a biosafety cabinet, and air must be filtered before it can be exhausted.
BSL-4: for work with high-risk, airborne pathogens that frequently cause lethal infections, such as Ebola. Requires all work to be carried out in a Class III BSC. In addition, personnel must use full-body, positive-pressure cleanroom suits. All materials must be decontaminated prior to leaving the BSC.

Which BSC is appropriate to which BSL?

Biological safety cabinets were designed to provide localized protection from potentially biohazardous substances. In general, the BSL level corresponds to BSC class, indicating the BSC type most appropriate for each BSL application. The National Science Foundation designates three classes for BSCs:

Class I: a negative-pressure hood in which air is drawn from the room into the enclosure and subsequently exhausted after treatment with UV-C germicidal light and HEPA filtration. These enclosures protect personnel, but do not protect products within the hood.
Class II: protect both operator and product. These units provide a HEPA-filtered laminar flow of air to protect the product from contamination, much like a laminar flow hood. Air is then directed into negative pressure plenums where it can be re-filtered or exhausted into a ducting system. Four common types of Class II BSCs are distinguished by air velocity as well as the percentage of air that recycled versus exhausted.

Type A1 (formerly Type A): minimum inflow velocity of 75 ft/min. 70% of air is recirculated; 30% is ducted. The contaminated plenum is surrounded by the lab environment.
Type A2 (formerly Type A/B3): minimum inflow velocity of 100 ft/min., with a negative plenum surrounding the contaminated plenum. 70% of air is recirculated; 30% is ducted.
Types B1 and B2 have dedicated hard-ducted exhaust lines, with 70% air exhaust in Type B1 and 100% air exhaust in Type B2.

Class III: provide the highest level of protection when working with high-risk pathogens. These enclosures are gloveboxes with airtight seals. Operators use glove ports to manipulate materials within the enclosure, never coming into direct contact with any materials. Exhaust air is HEPA filtered and directed into a ducting system.

BSCs, BSLs, and ISO Classes

When it comes to working with hazardous or potentially infectious material, protecting personnel must be the primary concern. However, offering personnel protection does not have to come at the cost of risking product integrity. Class II BSCs provide protection to both personnel and product simultaneously. They provide an ISO class 5 clean environment for product manipulation, while ensuring that exhaust air is filtered and ducted out of the environment. Thus, a class II BSC is the ideal solution when working with moderately hazardous material and both personnel and product safety are required.

Class II A2 Biosafety Cabinets Gallery

Logic Vue Class II Biosafety Cabinets by Labconco
Group of 2 products
3642-PP-06

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As low as $28,905

Some ship in 20 - 24 days

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1 Voltage2 Width1 Base Stand1 Sash Opening1 Model2 Manufacturer SKU
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Logic Vue Class II Biosafety Cabinets designed to maximize protection and containment for large instruments
Feature dual full-open sash openings, HEPA filters, safety interlock, and stainless steel interior
Intuitive MyLogic Operating System shows clear status information on LCD display ( 8 languages)
Protection Type: Product and Personnel
Conformance: ADA, CAN/CSA C22.2,ETL, NSF 49, UL
Voltage: 115 V
Width: 72", 48"
Base Stand: Integral
Sash Opening: 8"
Model: Logic Vue
Manufacturer SKU: 3300600, 3300400
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Purifier Logic+ Class II A2 Biological Safety Cabinets by Labconco
Group of 32 products
3642-PP-01

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As low as $11,418

Some ship in 5 - 7 days

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2 Voltage4 Width2 Base Stand2 Sash Opening1 Model1 UV Lamp32 Manufacturer SKU
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NSF-Listed Class II Type A2 BSC ideal for COVID-19 handling
Ergonomic MyLogic OS Interface with line-on-sight screen displays cabinet information
ECM and CAP pairing achieves proper airflow even as HEPA filters load
Conformance: ADA, CAN/CSA C22.2, CE, ETL, NSF 49, UL
Select 3’, 4’, 5’ and 6’ models include base stand and built-in options
Voltage: 115 V, 230 V
Width: 48", 36", 60", 72"
Base Stand: Included, Optional
Sash Opening: 10", 8"
Model: Purifier Logic+
UV Lamp: Included
Manufacturer SKU: 302411101, 302411111, 302381011, 302381111, 302411001, 302411011, 302481101, 302481111, 302511001, 302511011, 302511101, 302511111, 302581011, 302311001, 302581101, 302581111, 302611001, 302611101, 302611011, 302311101, 302611111, 302681011, 302681101, 302311111, 302681111, 302381101, 302481011, 302581001, 302681001, 302311011, 302381001, 302481001

Class II A2 Biosafety Cabinets

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Class II A2 Biosafety Cabinets

Biological Safety Cabinets
Labconco Purifier Logic+ Type A2 Biological Safety Cabinet Airflow
Smoke Testing a Labconco BSC and Glovebox
Identifying the Smoke Split

Hoods designed for both clean processing and containment of the exhaust air; includes Class I and II, Types A and B, and a unique Type C from Labconco | 3642-10 displayed Biological Safety Cabinets Hoods designed for both clean processing and containment of the exhaust air; includes Class I and II, Types A and B, and a unique Type C from Labconco.

Short animation illustrating the airflow pattern of a Purifier Logic+ Type A2 biosafety cabinet

This brief animation demonstrates how the Type A2 version of the Labconco Purifier Logic+ ensures operator and product safety. | 3642-13 displayed Labconco Purifier Logic+ Type A2 Biological Safety Cabinet Airflow This Class II Type A2 biological safety cabinets recirculate 70% of exhaust air through the HEPA filter for greater efficiency, as shown in this video animation.

Video of smoke testing Labconco BSC and glovebox isolator

This video demonstrates the laminar airflow of the Labconco's Purifier Logic Biosafety Cabinet and Protector Gloveboxes using a smoke test Smoke Testing a Labconco BSC and Glovebox Smoke testing reveals the air patterns within Labconco's HEPA-filtered hoods and gloveboxes, where vertical laminar airflow protects the materials inside from contamination.

In this smoke testing video, the flow of air in a Labconco BS "splits" towards the front and rear exhaust vents in the middle of the work surface Identifying the Smoke Split Releasing smoke near the middle of the work surface in a Labconco BSC shows how air is drawn into the front and rear perforations, reducing turbulence along the bottom of the hood.