What is the role of a Negative Pressure Room in BE contexts?

• A. Maintains higher pressure inside the room to prevent outward leakage
• B. Maintains lower pressure inside the room to prevent outward leakage of contaminants
• C. Maintains equal pressure with surrounding areas
• D. Has no effect on containment

Answer: (B)

The key idea is containment through pressure control: a Negative Pressure Room is kept at a lower air pressure than surrounding areas so air naturally flows into the room rather than out. This inward flow helps prevent any airborne contaminants inside the room from escaping to other spaces. The room is typically paired with an exhaust system (often with HEPA filtration) that removes the contaminated air, further reducing the chance of release into the building. Maintaining this negative pressure is essential in bioenvironmental contexts to protect staff and other patients from exposure to infectious or hazardous aerosols.

Choosing higher pressure inside would push air outward when doors or leaks occur, spreading contaminants; keeping equal pressure would not direct airflow to contain the room’s contents; and saying it has no effect on containment would ignore the fundamental way airflow is used to isolate contaminants.