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What to watch out for and how to use laminar flow hoods in the lab ?

Overview

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Source: Microbioz India

Date: 11 Mar,2023

Examples of laminar flow hoods are biological safety cabinets and clean benches (a.k.a. cell culture hood or tissue culture hood). These are HEPA-filtered laboratory enclosures that are carefully aimed. Several of these hoods guard against contamination of objects put on the work surface. Others shield the user from pollutants in the working environment.

A laminar flow hood or cabinet, also known as a tissue culture hood, is an expertly constructed bench intended to keep semiconductor wafers, biological samples, and other particle-sensitive materials free of contamination. A HEPA filter is used to extract air, which is then blown in a very even, laminar flow in the direction of the user. The sample is protected from the user due to the direction of air movement, but the user is not protected from the sample. Often composed of stainless steel, the cabinet has no cracks or crevices where spores could grow.

Both horizontal and vertical versions of these hoods are available, and there are numerous cabinet kinds with various permissible applications and airflow patterns.

Laminar flow hood or cabinet operating procedure:

Before turning on the laminar flow hoods or cabinet, it is necessary to inspect the cabinet to make certain that it does not contain anything that could be damaged by exposure to ultraviolet light.
Following this, the glass barrier of the hood is retracted, and the ultraviolet light is activated. To guarantee that the surface of the operating bench has been properly sterilised, the UV light needs to be turned on for approximately 15 minutes.
Following this, the ultraviolet (UV) light is turned off, and a pause of approximately ten minutes is allowed before the airflow is activated.
Around five minutes before the start of the surgery, the airflow will be activated.
After this step, the glass shield is opened, and the fluorescent light is also turned on while the operation is being performed.
The work surface of the cabinet can be sanitised with different disinfectants such alcohol that is 70% strength in order to provide an additional layer of safety.
After the task has been finished, the airflow and the fluorescent lamp are both turned off, and the glass shield is likewise turned off.

Cautionary measures to take when working with laminar flow hoods

In laboratories, where all of the air flows into one specific region, a laminar airflow system is utilised. This system ensures that the air within the cabinet airspace has a consistent velocity and direction. It is essential to make proper use of the laminar airflow system in order to ensure that it functions properly for an extended period of time, producing accurate results and providing adequate protection for your samples.

The cabinet used for laminar flow should be cleaned with UV light before beginning the procedure as well as after it has concluded.
Airflow and ultraviolet light should never be combined in any way.
There is no requirement for you to carry out any activities when you are in the vicinity of the UV light that is turned on.
The worker should wear lab coats and gloves.
The work bench, the glass shield, and any other components that are housed inside the cabinet need to be cleaned before and after the work is completed.

Applications for a Laminar Flow hood

Labs employ laminar flow hoods or cabinets for plant tissue culture and other contamination-sensitive procedures.
The cabinet can also be used for other laboratory procedures, such as the creation of media plates and the culture of organisms.
The cabinet is where operations involving particle-sensitive electrical devices take place.
Also, the pharmaceutical industry uses the cabinet to undertake medication production processes in a dust-free environment.
Laminar flow cabinets can be modified for specific tasks and are suitable for general laboratory techniques in the microbiological and industrial sectors.