Biological Safety Cabinets

A biological safety cabinet (BSC), also referred to as a biosafety cabinet, is a hood or glove box suitable for safe handling and manipulation of biological samples, bacteria, infectious organisms, such as COVID-19, and some substances known to cause cancer (carcinogens) or birth defects (teratogens). Biological safety cabinet requirements are defined by Biological Safety Levels (BSL), which differentiate health and safety risks between Class 1, Class 2, Class 3, and Class 4 environments.

Class II Biological Safety Cabinet systems provide both HEPA filtered supply air and HEPA filtered exhaust air. Class-2 biosafety cabinets are required in the presence of moderately hazardous microbes, such as Staphylococcus aureus. Class-2 biosafety sub-types include A1, A2, B1, B2, and C1 configurations. Class II A2 biosafety cabinets recirculate 70% of the air back into the work area while exhausting the remaining 30%. Class II B2 biosafety cabinets immediately exhaust 100% of the air leaving the work area. Class II C1 biosafety cabinets are NSF/ANSI 49 approved and capable of toggling between A2 and B2 configurations.

Class I Biological Safety Cabinet systems are appropriate in the presence of microbes that do not consistently cause disease, such as E. coli. A negative-pressure hood draws air from the room into the enclosure and recirculates the air internally after UV-C and HEPA filtration. Ducted designs allow routing of noxious chemicals to an outside environment. BSC-1 biosafety cabinets do not have HEPA filtered supply air.

Shop our wide selection of biosafety cabinets from Terra, Labconco, and GERMFREE. Call or chat with a live product specialist for help with configurations or custom solutions.

Purifier Logic+ Class II, B2 Biological Safety Cabinets by Labconco
Group of 16 products
3651-PP-01

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2 Voltage2 Width2 Base Stand1 Sash Opening1 Model2 UV Lamp16 Manufacturer SKU

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Voltage: 230 V, 115 V
Width: 48", 72"
Base Stand: Optional, Included
Sash Opening: 8"
Model: Purifier Logic+
UV Lamp: Optional, Included
Manufacturer SKU: 303480011, 303480001, 303480111, 303480101, 303481011, 303481001, 303481111, 303481101, 303680011, 303680001, 303680111, 303680101, 303681011, 303681001, 303681101, 303681111
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Purifier Logic+ Class II A2 Biological Safety Cabinets by Labconco
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3642-PP-01

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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
Logic Vue Class II Biosafety Cabinets by Labconco
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3642-PP-06

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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

Biological Safety Cabinets

Features and Benefits

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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.

Critical Environment Solutions

Terra's mission is to help customers in highly regulated industries transform the world with critical environment solutions that improve health, safety, performance, and yields. These environments may comply with stringent UL, ISO, IEST, ASTM and OSHA standards and local requirements.

Purifier Logic+ Class II Type A2 Biosafety Cabinet by Labconco

Protects lab researchers working with hazardous airborne particulates requiring Biosafety Level 1,2 and 3 containment; discharges HEPA filtered exhaust air

Class II Type A2 Biosafety Cabinet

Class II Type A2 biological safety cabinets recirculate 70% of HEPA-filtered air and are appropriate for Biosafety level 1, 2 or 3 containment.

Class II Type B2 Biological Safety Cabinet

Protects both user and product. Discharges 100% of filtered exhaust air. Requires a dedicated exhaust system and remote blower. Suitable for BSL 1,2 and 3 environments.

Class II Type C1 Biosafety Cabinet

These ergonomic units toggle between Type A and Type B modes, for use in BSL 1,2 and 3 environments.

Biological Safety Cabinets

Bag-In/Bag-Out HEPA Filter
Interior View of Labconco’s Axiom™ Class II Type C1 BSC
Labconco’s Ergonomic, ADA-Compliant Hood Design
Development of the Type C1 Biological Safety Cabinet
Overview of Labconco's Purifier Axiom Type C1 Biosafety Cabinet
Labconco Purifier Logic+ Type B2 Biosafety Cabinet Airflow Animation
Labconco Purifier Axiom Type C1 Biosafety Cabinet Airflow
Labconco Purifier Logic+ Type A2 Biological Safety Cabinet Airflow
Smoke Testing a Labconco BSC and Glovebox
Identifying the Smoke Split
Terra Universal IQ-OQ Process

RXPert Balance Enclosures feature a bag-in/bag-out filter replacement system that protect operators from hazardous chemical in the filter | 9082-17 displayed Bag-In/Bag-Out HEPA Filter When removing filters full of harmful chemicals, the Bag-In/Bag-Out system ensures the filter remains sealed inside the bags throughout the replacement process.

The recessed Chem-Zone™ at the center of this Axiom hood is surrounded by vents that lead directly to the exhaust port | 3652-07 displayed Interior View of Labconco’s Axiom™ Class II Type C1 BSC The recessed Chem-Zone™ at the center of this Axiom hood is surrounded by vents that lead directly to the exhaust port.

Operators can safely replace the HEPA filter(s) within an RXPert hood without exposing themselves to contamination | 3642-10 displayed Labconco’s Ergonomic, ADA-Compliant Hood Design Operators can safely replace the HEPA filter(s) within an RXPert hood without exposing themselves to contamination.

Video by Labconco telling the story of the Type C1 Biosafety Cabinet's inception as a dual-type hood

The Purifier Axiom Type C1 by Labconco is the first convertible biosafety cabinet, switching freely between Types A and B. | 3652-00 displayed Development of the Type C1 Biological Safety Cabinet This biosafety cabinet can convert between Type A and B, suitable for both harsh chemicals and microbiology, with redundant blower systems to maintain safety

Video by Labconco describing the features and benefits of the Axiom Type C1 biosafety cabinet

Labconco's Purifier Axiom Type C1 can run on BSL levels 1, 2, 3 and potentially 4, and combines the operations of Types A and B cabinet systems | 3652-00 displayed Overview of Labconco's Purifier Axiom Type C1 Biosafety Cabinet This biosafety cabinet can alternate between types A and B biosafety cabinets and can operate under safety levels 1 through 4. Redundant air blower systems with active protection protocol provide additional safety while reducing cost.

Short animation by Labconco illustrating the airflow patterns in the Type B2 Purifier Logic Biosafety Cabinet

Labconco Purifier Logic+ Type B2 Biosafety Cabinet uses an integral blower system to provide the utmost safety for the operator, meeting biosafety standards | 3651-60 displayed Labconco Purifier Logic+ Type B2 Biosafety Cabinet Airflow Animation This biosafety cabinet comes with an integral blower system to filter the air using HEPA filters, protecting the operator with negative pressure drawing room air in and ensuring containment.

Animated walkthrough of the airflow patterns and features of the Purifier Axiom Type C1 biosafety cabinet

Take a tour through the design and features of the Type C1 Purifier Axiom Biological Safety Cabinet | 3652-00 displayed Labconco Purifier Axiom Type C1 Biosafety Cabinet Airflow Labconco's Type C1 biological safety cabinet can alternate between recirculating and ducted exhaust patterns, and includes a unique, vented work surface for more efficient airflow.

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.

This video describes the IQ/OQ process for Equipment and Cleanrooms Terra Universal IQ-OQ Process This video describes the IQ/OQ process for Equipment and Cleanrooms