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The laminar flow hood provides an aseptic work area while allowing the containment of infectious splashes or aerosols generated by many microbiological procedures. Three kinds of laminar flow hoods, designated as Class I, II and III, have been developed to meet varying research and clinical needs.
Laminar flow hoods protect the working environment from dust and other airborne contaminants by maintaining a constant, unidirectional flow of HEPA-filtered air over the work area. 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. Depending 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). Vertical flow hoods, on the other hand, provide significant protection to the user and the cell culture. Clean benches 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. These devices only provide product protection. 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. |
Figure 2.1: The basic layout of a cell culture hood for right-handed workers. Left-handed workers may switch the positions of the items laid out on the work surface. |