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Use a Laboratory Refrigerator or Laboratory Freezer for Health and Safety
Use a Laboratory Refrigerator or Laboratory Freezer for Health and Safety
Many of us have experienced the unpleasant results of a refrigerator or freezer malfunction, especially if it occurs when we are out of the house for an extended period.
South Orange,
New Jersey,
United States of America
(prbd.net)
01/04/2010
"Laboratory refrigerators and laboratory freezers such as manufactured by Nor-Lake and available from Tovatech are especially designed to operate within tolerances that can be programmed by personnel to comply with recommended temperature parameters."
Many of us have experienced the unpleasant results of a refrigerator or freezer malfunction, especially if it occurs when we are out of the house for an extended period. This provides olfactory evidence that temperature control is critical to food preservation as well as health and safety.
Temperature control is likewise critical – crucial is a better word – when it comes to the development, manufacturing, transport and storage of pharmaceutical products as well as shipping and storing blood and plasma. Many of these products must be kept within a narrow range of temperatures to avoid losing potency or in the worst cases becoming dangerous to administer. Some pharmaceuticals such as vaccines must be kept frozen up until they are administered. Others such as the H1N1 vaccine have recommended storage temperatures between 2o and 6o C (35.6o and 42.8o F).
Clearly refrigerators and freezers designed for household use are not satisfactory solutions in these instances. Nor are similar units designed for commercial applications in supermarkets and restaurants.
Laboratory refrigerators and laboratory freezers such as manufactured by Nor-Lake and available from Tovatech are especially designed to operate within tolerances that can be programmed by personnel to comply with recommended temperature parameters. While temperature control is important – and common to residential and commercial units – numerous alarm and other safety features are incorporated into a lab refrigerator and lab freezer. These features not only alert personnel to potential problems, they also create documentation essential to support compliance with FDA and other guidelines.
Decision Factors
Scientific laboratory refrigerators and laboratory freezers are available in a wide variety of sizes. Included are combination laboratory refrigerators and freezers, under-counter and stackable units, and single-, two- or three-door glass door or solid door models, each with its own list of standard and optional features.
Not widely understood or appreciated is that products being stored in these units, and where these units are placed, can impose special design features important not only to what is being stored but also to personnel working in the area.
One key decision factor is choosing a unit with automatic or manual defrost. While the convenience of an automatic defrost feature cannot be argued, the auto-defrost cycle can cause variations in temperature that could affect the contents of the unit. Air circulation during the defrost cycle can also dry out the contents of the unit unless they are in sealed containers. Perhaps less important but also a consideration, auto-defrost units generally require more electricity to operate. Manual defrost units, whether a refrigerator or freezer, provide full control over the defrost cycle but require the provision of alternative storage during the defrosting operation.
From a product and personnel perspective, a flammable or explosion-proof laboratory refrigerator or laboratory freezer may be required. Most simply stated, flammable laboratory refrigerators and freezers are absolutely essential to the safety of property and personnel when items being stored emit volatile gases and vapors that could be ignited by internal sources such as sparks from compressors or lighting. Explosion-proof units must be specified with the environment in the laboratory or production facility contains flammable vapors or gases.
In summary, much thinking must go into specifying and buying laboratory refrigerator and freezing equipment used in the development, manufacture, shipping and storage of pharmaceutical products, blood and plasma. Time spent in consulting with laboratory equipment suppliers will more than pay for itself in terms of product and personnel safety.
About
Tovatech is a distributor of laboratory equipment to the US, Canada, and Mexico. The company specializes in digital scales, pharmaceutical laboratory equipment and ultrasonic cleaners. Tovatech is staffed by chemists and engineers dedicated to providing the right equipment for the food, drug, chemical, healthcare, and equipment manufacturing and maintenance sectors.
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