Which term describes the externally vented space used for secondary containment?

• A. Containment Secondary Engineering Control - separate externally vented room / CASA
• B. Containment Primary Engineering Control - BSC / machine
• C. Closed-System Transfer Device
• D. High Efficiency Particulate Air filter

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is secondary containment: the space outside the device where hazardous drugs are handled must be isolated from other areas to prevent any release from reaching the rest of the facility. The term that best describes this externally vented space is Containment Secondary Engineering Control. This is the separate room or area that surrounds the primary containment device (like a hood or cabinet) and is intentionally vented—often with negative pressure and HEPA filtration—to keep any airborne drug particles contained and removed before they can spread. It isn’t the device used to handle the drug itself (that’s the primary engineering control, such as a biological safety cabinet), and it isn’t a device to transfer drugs (a closed-system transfer device). Nor is it the filter itself (a HEPA filter), which is part of the air handling but not the space. This distinction—primary containment device versus the externally vented secondary containment space—is why Containment Secondary Engineering Control is the correct term.