Introduction

The background to isolation technology The concept of the glovebox, used to protect a process from the operator, or to protect the operator from a process, is hardly new. Gloveboxes were first developed with the atomic weapons programme during World War II; development continued within the nuclear power industry, up to the present day. Gloveboxes were also used almost from the beginning of sterile product manufacture, because operators were quickly recognised to be the major source of contamination. The use of gloveboxes declined when reliable panel high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters (see Chapter 2) became available (Agalloco 1995). These filters led to the development of cleanrooms, which have dominated sterile production until recently. Gloveboxes have also been developed for nonnuclear containment purposes, particularly where pathogenic organisms are involved, and clear standards exist for such containments. The Class III Biological Safety Cabinet defined in BS 5295, and latterly in EN 12469, is, of course, a glovebox.