Biosafety Cabinet Uv Light Safety

Does your biological safety cabinet bsc have an ultraviolet uv lamp in it.

Biosafety cabinet uv light safety.

Use of open flames in a biosafety cabinetup the centers for disease control and prevention cdc and the national institutes of health agree that uv lamps are not recommended nor required in bscs. Proper cleaning and disinfection using liquid disinfectant negates the need for use of uv lamps. A biological safety cabinet bsc is the primary means of containment developed for working safely with infectious microorganisms. If so it may not be as effective for sterilization decontamination purposes as you need it to be.

The use of ultraviolet uv lights in biological safety cabinets bscs has enjoyed a long history although it would be difficult to tell from the biosafety literature. National institutes of health nih centers for disease control and prevention cdc national science foundation ansi and the american biological safety association agree that ultraviolet uv lamps are not recommended or necessary for decontamination in bsc s. On august 29 2019 in articles for decades germicidal uv lamps have been used in class ii biological safety cabinets to keep the biosafety cabinet s interior clean when not in use. Eh s biosafety division strongly discourages uv lamps in bscs.

The current version of the nsf international standard 49 dismisses the use of uv in a bsc. Ultraviolet lamps in biological safety cabinets bscs the university of utah office of occupational and environmental health and safety oeh s strongly discourages the use of ultraviolet uv lamps in biological safety cabinets bscs. Uv light not only kills microorganisms in the biosafety cabinet but it also destroys living cells in your body. Many researchers swear by the use of uv lamps and would never consider using an enclosure without one.

Ultraviolet radiation is a form of non ionizing radiation and biological effects from it vary with wavelength photon energy and duration of exposure. The centers for disease control cdc national institute of health nih and national science foundation nsf all agree that uv lamps are neither recommended nor required in biological safety cabinets. In particular it can cause painful damage to both your skin and your eyes even after its intensity drops below the effective level. However if you are going to use one please follow the safety guides below to ensure you and your lab s safety.

Laboratory safety biosafety cabinets bscs properly maintained biosafety cabinets bscs when used in conjunction with good microbiological techniques provide an effective containment system for safe manipulation of moderate and high risk infectious agents biosafety level 2 bsl 2 and 3 bsl 3 agents.