What’s the difference between biosafety cabinets and clean benches?

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We get a lot of calls from customers looking for laminar flow benches. Sometimes they’re looking for a clean bench, other times they’re in need of a biosafety cabinet. Sometimes they’re not sure of the difference in the function of these two types of lab hood. So we thought we’d put together a short primer on the contrasts between these two very different pieces of equipment.

The general idea behind any laminar flow hood is that it provides filtered, laminar air flow for a clean work area. Both the clean bench and biosafety cabinet need HEPA filters to operate effectively and remove airborne particulate materials with a particle size of 0.3 μm or greater with an efficiency of at least 99.97%. In other words, both clean benches and biosafety cabinets are simply protection compartments, but offering different levels of protection. The key difference is that the clean bench is intended to provide protection only for the product within the clean working space, while biosafety cabinet provides protection not only to the product but more importantly to the personnel and lab environment. Again: a clean bench protects only the product, while the biosafety cabinet protects the product AND personnel.

Because of these different protection priorities the two types of laminar flow benches are used in distinct applications.

Clean benches

The laminar flow clean bench brings air through a HEPA filter and then discharges this air across the work surface and toward the user, thus keeping the work surface isolated from dust and other particulate matter.

Laminar flow clean benches can be used for applications in which a dust free environment needs to be maintained, such as media plate preparation, plant tissue culture work, the assembly of electronic devices, medical implant devices or other sterile equipment, or any work with non-hazardous materials where clean particle free air is required. Clean benches should not be used for handling any infectious material, cell culture material, or drug formulations – in other words, never use a clean bench for an application requiring a biosafety cabinet.

Biosafety cabinets

Biosafety cabinets can actually be broken down into a few more sub-categories. For purposes of this blog post we’ll be focusing on the Class II, Type A2 designation (also known as Class II, Type A/B3), which is the most common type of BSC. These units draw air through the front of the unit, then through the back wall and a HEPA filter down into the chamber. Air is then exhausted through another HEPA filter and back into the room.

The first HEPA filter (called the supply filter) traps particulate matter to protect product inside the biosafety cabinet while the second HEPA filter (called the exhaust filter) traps any infectious agents and thus provides personnel and environmental protection.

Biosafety cabinets can be used with work involving microorganism with biosafety levels 1, 2, and 3, mammalian tissue culture and work with mammalian blood and tissue, formulation of drug compounds, work with infectious or potentially infectious material, or any other work that requires biosafety levels 1, 2, or 3.

So that’s it in a nutshell. The key point here is that the laminar flow clean bench protects only the product, while the laminar flow biosafety cabinet protects the product, personnel, and environment. If you have any other questions about the different between these two pieces of equipment and would like help selecting a particular model for your lab please give us a call or email today. Thanks!

American Instrument Exchange has been a reliable source for used laboratory and scientific equipment for over 50 years, buying and selling equipment since 1969. Our surplus lab equipment is reconditioned for many types of laboratories, including biotech, biomedical, medical research, chemical, pharmaceutical, and university and hospital research laboratories. All lab equipment listed on our website is in stock and ships from our 30,000 square foot warehouse in Massachusetts. Our facilities include a fully equipped shop with highly trained technicians who thoroughly test each instrument before it reaches your laboratory. Please visit our website at https://www.americaninstrument.com/.