


There are limitations in terms of personnel protection. One important characteristic you need to consider is that laminar flow cabinets are suitable for non-hazardous products that are safe for an operator to inhale. Vertical systems are designed to pass the HEPA-filtered air downward along the working area. When is a Vertical Laminar Flow Cabinet the Best Choice?Ī vertical laminar flow cabinet is a clean bench providing a contamination-free area to handle lab samples, products, and other specimens. For example, some tasks may be perfect for laminar flow hoods, while infectious agents would require a different approach. Operations dealing with hazardous agents should be conducted according to appropriate safety requirements. You will also need to figure out future applications of the equipment, rules for contamination, and how much harm it could potentially cause to human health and the environment. So, once you establish this objective, you will better understand what kind of machine is applicable to you. The choice between laminar flow hoods and biosafety cabinets depends on what you are aiming to protect: the product, the user, the environment, or a combination of all three. Material transfer in clean air environment.Sampling the pharmaceutical ingredients.

Work with microorganisms of III-IV risk groups.Protection from intrahospital infections.Protection of operator, product and environment.Microbiological Laboratories at Production Facilities.Clean Zones - Photos of Completed Projects.Clean benches can be used for certain clean activities, such as the dust-free assembly of sterile equipment or electronic devices, and they should never be used when handling cell culture materials or drug formulations, or when manipulating potentially infectious materials. These devices only provide product protection. Horizontal laminar flow or vertical laminar flow “clean benches” are not biosafety cabinets these pieces of equipment discharge HEPA-filtered air from the back of the cabinet across the work surface toward the user, and they may expose the user to potentially hazardous materials. Vertical flow hoods, on the other hand, provide significant protection to the user and the cell culture.

The flow can be horizontal, blowing parallel to the work surface, or it can be vertical, blowing from the top of the cabinet onto the work surface.ĭepending on its design, a horizontal flow hood provides protection to the culture (if the air flowing towards the user) or to the user (if the air is drawn in through the front of the cabinet by negative air pressure inside). Laminar flow hoods protect the working environment from dust and other airborn contaminants by maintaining a constant, unidirectional flow of HEPA-filtered air over the work area.
