ABSTRACT

This chapter provides a systems approach, including tools and methods, for understanding and selecting the proper solution to a variety of containment problems that occur in all phases of the life sciences. The criteria for selection of the technology should be based on the quality of airborne material that is acceptable without exceeding a predetermined amount, typically based on an exposure limit. An example using barrier/isolation technology would be the pressurization scheme inside the barrier/isolator, the physical structure of the barrier/isolator, the pressurization scheme in the room containing the barrier/isolator, and the wall of the room. The criteria for welds and joints differ with the past traditional use of barrier/isolation technology, and requires attention in specifications when ordering a unit. Traditional systems are based primarily on negative pressure rooms, with air changes from fifteen times per hour up to sixty or greater.