How many biosafety levels are there with specific combination of work practices, safety equipment, and facilities, designed to minimize exposure of workers and the environment to infectious agents?

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Biosafety levels are defined sets of work practices, safety equipment, and facilities designed to minimize exposure of workers and the environment to infectious agents. There are four levels, arranged from the least to the most stringent containment. The first level covers basic lab practices for low-risk organisms. The second adds protective measures and PPE for moderate-risk agents and requires controlled access and a biosafety cabinet for certain procedures. The third level is for agents that can cause serious or lethal disease via inhalation and involves controlled access, specialized ventilation, and procedures to prevent aerosol exposure. The fourth level provides maximum containment for the most dangerous agents, with dedicated facilities and fully encapsulated, air-supplied protection. This four-tier structure exists to match the varying risks of agents, ensuring containment increases with threat level.