Biosafety Cabinet

Published February 2000

A special exhaust hood with an enclosed work surface used for biological testing and experiments. Biosafety cabinets protect experiments from contaminants in the surrounding room, and they protect workers from hazardous materials being used in the cabinet. They also include features that prevent cross contamination within the cabinet. Conventional fume hoods afford protection only for the room environment. Biosafety cabinet ventilation systems provide a flow of air from the room and through the fume hood face opening as well as HEPA filtering of exhaust and recirculating air. Reference National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) Standard Number 49. See also Fume Hood.