Labconco Corporation: Controlling Airflow in Class II Biosafety Cabinets

In order to maintain proper containment, NSF stipulates that recirculating and exhausted airfl ow volumes, and therefore velocities, must be maintained within a tolerance of +/- 5 feet per minute (FPM).

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Labconco Corporation- Controlling Airflow in Class II Biosafety Cabinets

Class II biosafety cabinets are defi ned by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF International) as:

“A ventilated cabinet for personnel, product, and environmental protection having an open front with inward airfl ow for personnel protection, downward HEPA fi ltered laminar airfl ow for product protection, and HEPA fi ltered exhausted air for environmental protection.”

In order to maintain proper containment, NSF stipulates that recirculating and exhausted airfl ow volumes, and therefore velocities, must be maintained within a tolerance of +/- 5 feet per minute (FPM).2 HEPA fi lter loading can compromise a biological safety cabinet’s ability to maintain proper airfl ow. This paper will review the current technologies used by various biosafety cabinet manufacturers to monitor and maintain proper airfl ows as HEPA fi lters load.

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