Issue

The linear fluorescent lamp advances in phosphor chemistry, lamp operating temperature and lamp diameter have dramatically improved fluorescent optical performance. New coatings called Tri-phosphors come in 2 grades that provide 17 percent to 28 percent higher lumen output than older coatings and almost perfect natural color.

Last fall, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published regulations (29CFR1910.900) for ergonomic hazards in the workplace. This standard covers approximately 100 million workers, including laboratory workers. OSHA's standard requires employers to respond to employee reports of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) or signs and symptoms of MSDs that last seven days after they are reported.

It's no mystery that cleanrooms present numerous challenges to designers who specify lighting systems. Cleanroom lighting will vary depending on the room's use, its classification and ceiling air supply configuration.

These are the times that try the souls of optical component manufacturers. No matter where they turn, they are faced with heated demands for bandwidth; ever-changing network traffic patterns; a slew of fiber deployments; emerging technologies; and, of course, increased costs and competitive pressures.

In the week ending March 17, 2001, more than 310,000 cars and trucks rolled off North American assembly lines. Year-to-date, manufacturers produced nearly 3.2 million vehicles. However, each time a satisfied customer drives away in a perfectly operating vehicle, the manufacturer has contamination control efforts to thank.

Today's cleanrooms are dynamic spaces that are often characterized by numerous, repeated changes. The introduction of new products, production techniques and process tools or the integration of new systems can require dramatic modification of the cleanroom layout.

Cleanroom chair from BioFit Engineered Products; Wipers from Berkshire; Static decay meter from Electro-Tech Systems Inc.; Floor machine from Nilfisk-Advance America Inc.

A few words of advice for our life sciences readers who are engaged in the uphill battle of developing, installing and maintaining current good manufacturing practices (cGMP) and cleaning procedures: The FDA is still able to flex its muscle.

It wasn't too long ago that I was sitting in this very spot, desperately trying to meet the deadline for the Special Report "DNA: The Crystal Ball" (see CleanRooms, March 2001, p. 21). None of the drug-makers experimenting with genomic technology wanted to talk to me.

Cleanroom air filter system with self-supporting filter units; Ultraclean surface treatment device; Filter package...

In recent columns, we looked at the subject of cosmetics in cleanrooms because some people are again asking if it is ok to wear these substances inside contamination-sensitive areas. The short answer was "no," with moisturizing lotions for those people with dry flaking skin as the only exception.

This is the second in a series of articles on the new ISO Global Cleanroom Standards. This month we will explore ISO 14644-2; which is the close companion document to ISO 14644-1 discussed in the April issue of CleanRooms.

I continue to marvel at the fact that one of the most important defining components in a state-of-the-art cleanroom is nothing more than a collection of randomly oriented fibers packaged as HEPA and ULPA filters for removing aerosol particles from the air circulating through the cleanroom.

Employers in healthcare have a legal requirement to protect their personnel. This responsibility, which includes hospitals, encompasses all areas, from those receiving materials on the dock, to those directly involved in the delivery of medication to the patient.

KENT, OH—With the help of a $200,000 Technology Action Fund grant from the State of Ohio, Kent State University (KSU) is offering a program that teaches people what it's like to work in a cleanroom, from gowning up to learning how to work under strict validation guidelines.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA—Cleanroom designer, fabricator and installer Daw Technologies Inc. in late March, signed a letter of intent with three other business entities to begin offering its services in China.

FRANKFURT, GERMANY—For the first time at CleanRooms Europe 2001 (June 26-28), representatives from M + W Zander will discuss FDA compliant cleanroom ventilation and newcomer GB Pharmatechniq will look at the future cleanroom needs of the pharmaceutical, biological and genetic engineering markets.

WASHINGTON, DC—although it has managed to hand down some of the stiffest fines in history to drug makers employing shoddy production practices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is struggling to reaffirm its authority and quash suggestions that it caters to the pharmaceutical industry.

SANTA CLARA, CA—Even though chip giant Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, CA) has put some expansion plans on hold, company officials say they are moving ahead with its $1 billion upgrade to Fab 17, located in Hudson, MA.

WASHINGTON, DC—It emblazons front pages of major metropolitan newspapers and leads network newscasts almost daily. And whether it's mad cow, foot-and-mouth, bio-engineered foods or a rat's head nestled within a Big Mac, the subject of food safety has spread a worldwide epidemic of fear.

SOUTH PORTLAND, ME—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently fined Santa Clara, CA-based National Semiconductor Corp. for violating hazardous waste regulations at its South Portland, ME, facility. But company officials there say the $320,000 punishment does not fit the crime.

The 2000 CleanRooms Hall of Fame Award was presented to ...

ISPE and GMP unite in Tampa; Applied expands; Asyst receives major order...