Investigations of indoor environment of high level biosafety laboratory in China based on field measurements

Abstract

The high-level biosafety laboratory is not only the basic support for infectious disease prevention and control, but also interrelated with key areas such as environmental security and social security, which has attracted increasing attention. A good indoor environment is the premise to ensure the smooth progress of the experiment and biological risk prevention and control. In order to better understand the indoor environment of high-level biosafety laboratories, 19 high-level biosafety laboratories in China (with a total of 65 main rooms) were carefully selected as the test objects from December 2020 to December 2022. According to the test methods specified in the Chinese standard GB 50346, the air change, cleanliness, static pressure difference, temperature, relative humidity, and illumination were tested and analyzed. The results showed that all the measured parameters met the requirements of the Chinese standard GB 50346, and the bio-safety performance was completely satisfactory. However, individual parameters showed some overlarge values: the proportion of main rooms with cleanliness levels of 7 and 8 exceeding 50% of the lower limit for air changes was 54.5% and 69.8%, respectively; the proportion of main rooms in BSL-3-b1 laboratories with atmospheric pressure differentials exceeding 50% of the standard lower limit was 94.7%; and the atmospheric pressure differential in the main rooms of BSL-3-b2 laboratories reached a maximum of nearly -160 Pa. On the premise of ensuring the cleanliness and pressure gradient of the main room, it may be possible to reduce the air change. This study, for the first time, reveals the environmental parameters of various types and levels of biosafety laboratories, which can provide reference for the design and operation of such facilities.