Basic Documentation
Table Of Contents
- About this Application Guide
- Chapter 1–Introduction
- Chapter 2–Goals of the Laboratory Environment
- Chapter 3–Unique Ventilation Needs of a Laboratory Facility
- Chapter 4–Ventilation Systems Classification
- Chapter 5–Laboratory Facility Exhaust Systems
- Chapter 6–Laboratory Containment Units - Ventilation
- Chapter 7–Room Ventilation, Makeup Air, and Pressurization Control Systems
- Chapter 8–Laboratory Temperature and Humidity Control Systems
- Chapter 9–Laboratory Emergencies - Ventilation System Response
- Chapter 10–Laboratory Ventilation System - Validation
- Chapter 11–Laboratory Ventilation System - Commissioning
- Glossary
- Index
Chapter 3–Unique Ventilation Needs of a
Laboratory Facility
Chapter 3 summarizes the types of individual laboratory rooms likely to be present in a large
laboratory facility and their unique ventilation requirements. This is not a complete listing of
all possible types of laboratory rooms or of every possible condition that may be
encountered. Rather it is intended to enable you to attain an awareness of requirements that
will be imposed on the ventilation system for such types of rooms.
This chapter includes the following topics:
• Microbiological/Biomedical laboratory rooms
• High toxicity laboratory rooms
• Medical laboratory rooms
• Animal rooms–vivariums
• General chemical and analytical laboratory rooms
Microbiological/Biomedical Laboratory Rooms
As expected, this category usually applies to the largest portion of laboratory rooms in a
biological laboratory facility. These types of laboratory rooms cover a very wide variety of
activities involving working with biological substances of varying degrees of risk depending
on the nature of the infectious and/or toxic agents present. The ventilation rates, previously
listed in Table 1, apply along with a requirement that the ventilation system be designed to
prevent room air from migrating to other parts of the facility. The following listing focuses on
the specific ventilation system requirements of each type of biological laboratory. The
classifications represent the standards of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the U.S.
and also coincide with the biosafety containment levels of the Laboratory Centre for Disease
Control of Canada.
The biological safety levels or containment levels of a laboratory (Biosafety Levels 1 through
4) should not be confused or used interchangeably with the classification of Biological Safety
Cabinets (Class I through III).
Biosafety Level 1
This is the lowest biosafety classification and applies to biological laboratory activities that
need no special ventilation requirements apart from an adequate ventilation rate as indicated
in Table 1. Biosafety Level 1 activities may also be conducted within a general chemical
laboratory in which case the room ventilation must meet the requirements for a general
chemistry laboratory.
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