Research and development of airtight biosafety containment facility for stainless steel structures

Abstract

Objective: Airtightness of containment structures of a high-level biosafety laboratory is a critical parameter for preventing leakage of harmful bioaerosols. The aim of this study is to investigate the sealing technology of stainless steel structural airtight biosafety containment facilities. Methods: An experimental study was conducted on a domestic high-level pathogenic microorganism model laboratory, considering the sealing process of the containment structure, including airtight doors, pass boxes, dunk tanks, through-wall pipeline sealing devices, and sealed floor drains. Results: The results indicate that the airtightness of the model laboratory containment structure meets the tightness requirements of a biosafety level-4 (BSL-4) laboratory. They also indicate that the construction technology of stainless steel enclosure structures used by the laboratory and the tightness performance and installation process of the developed airtight protective equipment meet the technical requirements of a BSL-4 laboratory. Conclusions: This successful model laboratory indicates that China has the research and development capacity for stainless steel airtight containment structure manufacturing processes, airtight protective equipment, and technical capacity for independent construction of the highest-level pathogenic microorganism laboratories. Keywords: Biosafety level-4 laboratory, Airtightness, Containment structure, Sealing process