In this interview, industry expert Seth DePenning provides insights into the critical role of Biological Safety Cabinets (BSCs) and highlights the importance of HEPA filters. A biological safety cabinet is a piece of equipment that contains hazardous airborne particulate to protect personnel and their surroundings while they perform a process. These are used in many settings where biomedical personnel need a contained space at which to work, such as biological research labs and drug compounding pharmacies.
HEPA filters are what strain most of the particulates out of the air that a biosafety cabinet exhausts, and in the case of Class II BSCs, out of the air that flows down into the interior where the work is done. Biosafety cabinets use a motor to move air in various ways for specific purposes. In the case of a Class II BSC, this includes not only creating inflow at the front of the cabinet to keep particulate from flowing out towards the user and the surrounding room, but also pushing air through the supply HEPA filter so it will be clean for the work zone and pushing air past the exhaust HEPA filter so it is clean exiting the BSC.
Over time, the HEPA filters become more and more filled with particulate and make it harder for the motor to push enough air through to create these airflows. Eventually, the HEPA filters become so saturated they must be replaced with clean ones that the motor can force enough air through. The need for filter changes will probably be de.
