Ventilation is widely acknowledged as one of the most critical factors in biomedical facility design for the protection of both personnel and experiments. Biological safety cabinets are primary containment devices that react with and are sometimes part of the ventilation system. Reviews the major codes and guidelines affecting ventilation design in biomedical laboratories, the major considerations in ventilating biomedical laboratories, and the relationship of biological safety cabinets to the laboratory, including factors affecting performance and common problems encountered in their installation. Issues in the selection and performance of biological safety cabinets are explored utilising case studies of several projects.

KEYWORDS: laboratories, ventilation, cabinets, performance, safety, designing, hazards, personnel, regulations, installing, selecting, case studies, location, safety cabinets, extract ventilation, bacteria, viruses, health.