How Biological Safety Cabinets Work & How Leasing One Helps Your Lab
Excedr’s lab equipment lease program helps you source any instrument type and accommodates any brand preferences you or your end-user might have. Request a lease estimate today and see how leasing a biological safety cabinet can help your lab manage budget and costs more easily.
All equipment brands/models are available
The Advantages of Excedr’s Biosafety Cabinet Leasing Program:
- Eliminates the upfront cost of purchasing equipment by spreading its cost over time
- Minimizes equipment downtime with included complete repair coverage and preventive maintenance
- Takes advantage of potentially 100% tax deductible* payments, providing you significant cash-savings
- Expedites the administrative work needed for instrument procurement and logistics
- Conserves working capital, enabling you to reinvest in your core business and operations (staffing, inventory, marketing/sales, etc.)
- Accommodates all manufacturer and model preferences
*Please consult your tax advisor to determine the full tax implications of leasing equipment.
Working in a laboratory setting can be extremely dangerous without proper precautions.
Depending on the research you do, you may face exposure to toxic and harmful substances. Biosafety cabinets (BSCs) protect you and your colleagues from exposure to these substances.
BSCs are commonly found in laboratories working with infectious agents or tissue culture, such as toxicology, microbiological, and biomedical laboratories.
Unlike laminar flow hoods (LFH) or clean benches, these lab enclosures serve to isolate you and your colleagues from possible hazardous materials by keeping materials contained within the cabinet, providing sterile and safe conditions for both the product and the workers.
Found in many industries, including hospitals, drug discovery labs, and pharmaceutical R&D, these safety enclosures are helpful and, sometimes, legally required.
The primary purpose of BSCs is to protect your workers while they deal with possibly dangerous or delicate substances. Due to their use as safety devices, biosafety cabinets must be certified and comply with all state and federal government regulations in addition to industry standards. Filtration requirements include the use of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters on all air exhausts. It is one of the universal requirements for all BSCs.
BSC Classifications
The CDC has outlined and organized specific procedures into classes when working with biohazards and contaminants in a laboratory setting. These biosafety levels (BSLs) describe biocontainment precautions that must be taken in order to isolate dangerous pathogens in a lab environment and individual work areas.
Additionally, it is also essential that you decontaminate the work surfaces of your biosafety cabinet. Decontamination of a BSC, regardless of its classification, is performed so that the device itself is rendered non-infectious. You can achieve decontamination by exposing every component of the BSC to gases such as formaldehyde or hydrogen peroxide.
Class I
BSL Class I biosafety cabinets offer personnel and environmental protection. The enclosure pulls non-recirculated air away from the operator and passes it through a HEPA filter.
Used to enclose specific pieces of equipment or procedures that deal with aerosols, this class does not provide product protection. Class I cabinets are safe to use for substances that require Biological Safety Levels 1, 2, or 3.
Class II
Class II biological safety cabinets offer personal, product, and environmental protection. This is done by having HEPA filtered inward airflow, sterile air blowing down over the workspace, and HEPA filtered exhaust air. Labconco provides five subclasses that further differentiate varying safety levels for Class 2 cabinets:
- Type A1: Must maintain an air inflow of 75 fpm through a sash opening. Appropriate when using substances that are not vaporous.
- Type A2: Must maintain air inflow of 100 fpm through a sash opening. Over 90% of all biological safety cabinets are type A2.
- Type B1: Similar to type A2, these types of cabinets have HEPA-filtered downflow air that uses recirculated uncontaminated inflow air while expelling contaminated air through a dedicated filtered exhaust.
- Type B2: These cabinets do not use recirculated air. Instead, the filtered downflow air is drawn from the surrounding environment or from another outside air source. They are also called 100% exhaust or total exhaust cabinets.
- Type C1: Must maintain air inflow of 105 fpm through a sash opening. These types are unique in that they can be considered Type A or Type B depending on how they are operated.
Most BSC types under the class II category can handle hazardous chemical vapors or radionuclides by connecting to an exhaust system, providing safe conditions for everyone present.
Class III
Defined as a totally enclosed and ventilated container, class III cabinets have leak-proof rubber gloves installed. They are also referred to as glove boxes. The enclosed design allows users access to materials inside the cabinet while maintaining a completely contained enclosure. Like class II BSCs, these units also provide personnel, environment, and product protection.
BSC Class I, II, & III Leases to Fit Every Need
While BSCs are most commonly found in microbiological and biomedical laboratories, laboratory safety in any lab is vital for countless reasons.
Whatever level of protection you require, we can help. If you’re interested in leasing a biological safety cabinet or fume hood, get in touch with us today by filling out our contact form online or calling (510) 982-6552. We’ll get you on the road to a clean and safe work environment.
In addition to safety equipment, we lease general laboratory equipment of all types, from autoclaves, centrifuges, and anaerobic chambers, to more specific instrumentation, such as analytical equipment.
Browse our selection of equipment leasing options and let us know about any other instruments you may be interested in leasing by getting in touch or requesting a lease estimate.
Operating Lease
This off-balance sheet financing structure provides three options at the end of the term. The lessee has the option to return the equipment to the lessor, renew at a discounted rate, or purchase the instrument for the fair market value. Monthly payments are also 100% tax deductible which yields additional monetary savings.
Sale-Leaseback
If you recently bought equipment, Excedr can offer you cash for your device and convert your purchase into a long-term rental. This is called a sale leaseback. If you’ve paid for equipment within the last ninety days, we can help you recoup your investment and allow you to make low monthly payments. This also frees up money in your budget rather than tying it down to a fixed asset.
Biosafety Cabinet Manufacturers & Models
Learn More
ThermoFisher Scientific:
Herasafe KSP, Herasafe KS, Herasafe 2030i A2, 1300 Series A2, 1300 Series B2, 1500 Series B2 Maxisafe 2030i, Safe 2020, Maxisafe 2020, MSC-Advantage
Labconco:
Purifier Axiom Class II C1, Purifier Logic+ Class II Type A2, Purifier Logic+ Class II Type B2, Purifier Cell Logic+ Class II Type A2, Purifier Cell Logic+ Class II Type B2, Purifier Logic+ EN12469, Purifier Rebel Logic+ Class II Type A2, PuriCare Procedure Station Class II Type A2
NuAire:
LabGard ES NU-540 Class II Type A2, LabGard ES AIR NU-543 Class II Type A2, LabGard ES AIR LIMITED NU-545 Class II Type A2, LabGard CYTO NU-581 Class II Type A2, AutoLabGard ES NU-125 Mini-Room Class II Type A2, LabGard ES NU-677 Class II Type A2, LabGard ES NU-602 Class II Type A2, LabGard ES NU-610 Dual Access Class II Type A2, LabGard NU-437S Class II Type A2, LabGard ES NU-427 Class II Type B1, LabGard TE NU-560 Class II Type B2, LabGard ES TE NU-565 Class II Type B2,
Air Science:
Purair BIO Biological Safety Cabinet, AS-AHA-103-CA-B, AS-AHA-103-CB-B, AS-AHA-133-CA-A, AS-AHA-133-CA-B, AS-AHA-133-CB-A, AS-AHA-133-CB-B, AS-AHA-163-CA-B, AS-AHA-163-CB-B, AS-AHA-193-CA-A, AS-AHA-193-CB-B
Pro-Lab Diagnostics USA:
Pro-Safe Class I Biosafety Cabinet, Pro-Safe Class II A2, Pro-Safe Class II B2, Pro-Safe Class III, Pro-Safe Cytotoxic safety cabinet
Baker:
SterilGARD e3 Class II Type A2, BioChemGARD e3 Class II Type B2, NCB e3 Class II Type B1
and more!
