Containment cabinets, laboratory

Those elements of conventional laboratory design that must be refined for facilities in which toxic chemicals will be handled are presented. Alarms, communications, construction materials, containment cabinets, filter systems, floor plans, security, compressed gases, and waste disposal are discussed. Emphasis is given to design considerations dictated by the use of large numbers of fume hoods. 

Laboratory rooms intended for toxic work should be provided with adjacent shower and change facilities. The layout must not require freshly showered personnel to track back through the area that they might have just contaminated. All drains, including those in laboratory floors, should have deep traps and be directed to a toxic sump. Airlocks will help prevent toxic fumes from spreading to non-toxic areas in the event of a failure of a primary containment cabinet. Check valves in the incoming water lines will prevent contamination of potable water supplies when pressure is lost. 

The nature of the work to be done, statutory requirements, and the preferences of the staff will dictate the selection of laboratory containment cabinets, but the following considerations should be taken into account by the decision makers. 

BSL 2 Biosafety Level 2 is suitable for work involving microorganisms of moderate potential hazard to personnel and the environment. Safety equipment Class I or II biosafety cabinets or other physical containment devices laboratory coats, gloves, face protection as needed. Microorganisms include hepatitis B virus, HIV, salmonellae, and mycoplasma. 

Model VG201, Spectroderm International, Inc., Fairfax, Virginia 22030. If volatile chemical carcinogens are used, a separate vacuum pump or vacuum system should be used in conjunction with an appropriate laboratory-type containment cabinet. 

You will also note that the flammable hazard classification of a chemical determines the allowable containersize for a chemical. Thus, Class lA or HC 1 are only allowed up to 0.5 L in size for a glass container (most laboratories use glass). There is also a limit as to the amount of flammables allowed outside a flammable storage cabinet at any one time. This is very important for your safety, so when you are finished using a flammable you should promptly return it to the flammables cabinet. This reduces your risk in case there is a Are. 

Fig. 1.1 The Grand Duke Peter Leopold s Chemistry Cabinet (Museo Galileo Galilei, Florence). This self-contained mini-laboratory was actually only a part of a laigta- pivale laboratory. It was left to the Museum of Physics and Namral History when the Duke departed Florence in 1790. Photograph by M.V. Oma...

The partial containment facility laboratory requires a ventilated safety cabinet, usually a biological safety cabinet, in every laboratory. It is good practice to exhaust the cabinet through its own ductwork directly to the outdoors however, connection to the general exhaust or fume hood exhaust is also permissible. In either case, care in maintaining ventilation balance is extremely important. 

Chemical spills in the laboratory may be hazardous, damaging to flooring and furniture finishes, or simply messy to clean up. Laboratory equipment houses and distributors of safety equipment carry a variety of clean-up kits made for specific types of spills, depending on the types of chemicals handled. Generally, the kits contain absorbents or neutralizers, or a combination of the two, plus instructions for use. Kits should be stored as close as possible to where spills are likely to occur and not in a remote storeroom. Instructions must be kept with the kits, not in a file cabinet. Quick action in case of a spill is important in reducing both hazards and damage. 

Catalog in hand, the laboratory planner places units containing drawers and cupboards where they should go. The plan should be marked off with the catalog numbers and will later be given to the cabinet supplier. Some suppliers offer planning kits to make the job easier. 

At NSF, a great deal of work is done on the development and implementation of NSF standards and criteria for health-related equipment. The majority of NSF standards relate to water treatment and purification equipment, products for swimming pool applications, plastic pipe for potable water as well as drain, waste, and vent (DWV) uses, plumbing components for mobil homes and recreational vehicles, laboratory furniture, hospital cabinets, polyethylene refuse bags and containers, aerobic waste treatment plants, and other products related to environmental quality. 

Because of the sensitivity of PCR assays, it is most important to minimise the potential danger of cross-contamination. Ideally, PCR laboratories should consist of two separate rooms, each containing their own equipment (e.g., pipetors). One room should be dedicated to the setting up of RT reactions and PCR assays only. Both laboratories should use aerosol-resistant tips to prevent carry-over of sample within the barrel of the pipet. Post-PCR tubes should never be opened in the room used to set up PCRs as this is probably the most potent source for potential contamination. A laminar-flow cabinet, particularly one designed for PCR, should be considered a requirement for a PCR room in situations where a large number of samples will be processed. 

The test apparatus used in this work was the New York Production Club cabinet developed by the New York Paint and Varnish Production Club and modified by Engineer Research and Development Laboratories, Fort Bel voir, Va. It consisted essentially of two parallel iron bars set 6 inches apart and extending upward at a 45 angle from the lower side of the cabinet, and an adjustable cross bar to support the test panel in the desired position. The flame source consisted of absolute ethyl alcohol contained in a brass cup supported on a cork-insulated metal pedestal. 

Aqueous sulfuric acid solutions containing 15.0 wt% H2SO4 and 80.0 wt% H2SO4 are mixed to form a 60.0 wt% product solution. The 15% solution was in a laboratory in which the temperature was 77 7 The 80% solution had just been taken from a storage cabinet in an air-conditioned stockroom and was at a temperature of 60°F when the mixing occurred. 

Biological materials to be removed from the Class III cabinet or from the Biosafety/Laboratory Containment Level 4 laboratory in a viable or intact state are transferred to a nonbreakable primary container and then enclosed in a nonbreakable, sealed secondary container. This is removed from the facility through a disinfectant dunk tank, fumigation chamber or an airlock designed for this purpose. 

Flammable chemicals should be stored in appropriate containers and facilities. Smaller amounts may be stored in laboratories in appropriate cabinets. A 10% neutral buffered formalin solution, commonly known as formaldehyde, is potentially carcinogenic. In 1987, precautions for laboratory workers were put in place as the Formaldehyde Standard CFR 1919.1048. Xylene is potentially hazardous and should be handled appropriately, see OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.1450. An excellent website is available for on fine location of Material... 

After initial sample processing, radioanalytical chemistry is performed in the individual laboratories, numbered 7-11 and 19-25 in Figure 13.2. The model laboratory unit is designed to accommodate two radioanalytical chemists. The sidewalls consist of ample processing surfaces and cabinet space, and the center island contains a double-sided worktable, covered with a seamless laminate that can be replaced when necessary. 

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