Why passing airflow velocities doesn't always tell the whole story about what's happening inside a biological safety cabinet. The numbers look good. So what's the problem? If you've spent enough time certifying biological safety cabinets (BSCs), you've probably encountered a cabinet that looks perfectly respectable on paper. Inflow velocity? Within specification. Downflow velocity? Within specification. HEPA filter integrity? Passed. Everything appears to be going according t

A beginner’s guide to working safely in CL2, CL3 and CL4 laboratories Welcome to your first day in a containment laboratory. You’ve completed some training. You’ve learned where the emergency exits are. Someone has probably shown you an impressive collection of PPE. And depending on the laboratory, you may have just walked through enough doors to wonder whether you accidentally boarded a submarine. There’s a reason for all of it. A containment laboratory is essentially a care

Inside the airflow, HEPA filtration, pressure relationships and failure testing that help keep high-containment laboratories contained Walk into a properly operating Containment Level 3 (CL3) laboratory and, at first glance, things may seem surprisingly calm. The lights are on. Equipment is humming. Researchers are working. Doors open and close. Air enters through supply diffusers and disappears through exhaust grilles. Nothing particularly dramatic appears to be happening. A