Biological Safety Cabinets

LAFW blows air toward operator whereas biological safety cabinets (BSCs) provide protection for both the personnel and the environment. They are designed to take air into the cabinet through a prefilter and channel it through a HEPA filter located in the top of the cabinet. The airflow is directed downward toward the work surface like the vertical LAF. As the air approaches the work surface, it I pulled through vents at the front, back, and sides of the cabinet. The air is channeled so a major portion is recirculated back into the cabinet and a minor portion is passed through another HEPA filter before being exhausted into the room.

Due to its advantages over LAFW (i.e. protection for both the personnel and the environment), BSCs should be used when preparing chemotherapy and hazardous drugs. There are a number of different types of BSCs listed in the table below. All classes have HEPA/ULPA filter.

Maintaining BSCs is essential but semilar to what was described in the LAFW section.