The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of proper ventilation and air quality in the medical industry. However, at VODEX, we’ve worked with medical and pharmaceutical organisations for some time now and understand that the risks are more extensive than Covid-19 alone.
Medical, laboratory and pharmaceutical workers can often be exposed to many hazardous fumes and dusts coming from various sources. With risks ranging from chemical agents, powders, solutions, biological dusts and airborne pathogens, the medical sector can be a high-risk environment when not properly ventilated. That’s why using suitable and up-to-date fume and dust extraction systems are crucial. Read on to learn more about how fume and dust extraction can help the medical industry.
What are the risks?
Identifying the risk factors is a pivotal phase in understanding the importance of fume and dust extraction for the medical industry. Ranging from manufacturing to treatment and patient care, the impact of poor extraction and ventilation can be severe.
Tableting Process
While the tablet manufacturing process is evolving, the use of highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) remains prevalent. According to The Medicine Maker, ‘highly potent’ compounds typically have an occupational exposure limit under ten micrograms per cubed metre, meaning that around 25% of all drugs being developed globally are highly potent.
The inhalation of these hazardous airborne particles can create a significant risk for those operating the equipment used to press the final tablets. Not only can toxins be inhaled as part of this process, but they can also enter the body through several other routes; this could be through the skin, residue on clothing, eyes, or intramuscularly through a scratch on the skin. In addition, the toxic nature of many of these particles can have a severe negative impact on the health of those handling them. This can include cancer, mutations, development effects or sickness at very low doses.
Powder Weighing
For many laboratories, weighing powders is a routine task that forms part of the research process. However, without proper fume and dust extraction, it can result in several severe health hazards. The University of Wisconsin conducted a study into the repercussions of weighing hazardous powders which we’ll explore here.
The research found that health hazards of powders may include sensitisation, toxicity and carcinogenicity. They are generally associated with continued inhalation of toxic powders. However, the study also found that even routine exposure to non-toxic powders can lead to significant respiratory problems, again highlighting the importance of dust extraction for the medical industry.
It’s not only internal health problems that can result from the powder-weighing process, though. The same study found that metal powders like aluminium, iron, magnesium and titanium are potentially flammable even in small quantities. Not only does this present apparent health and safety hazards, but also a significant risk of property damage.
Exposure to Chemicals
Many of the chemicals in a healthcare setting can pose a risk to employees. For example, antineoplastic drugs and anaesthetic gases are used to treat patients, while phenolic and ammonium compounds are used to disinfect and sterilise work surfaces and equipment. In medical research, chemicals like xylene and formaldehyde are often used as fixatives for tissue specimens.
It’s, therefore, essential to ensure the correct PPE is worn while also ensuring effective fume extraction is utilised. This will help to minimise the chances of these harmful substances being inhaled or ingested.
Ventilation in Health Care Facilities
Covid-19 made us all hyper-aware of the importance of proper ventilation and the damage caused by airborne contagions. No industry was faster to identify and act on the importance of indoor air quality (IAQ) than the healthcare sector. Research has shown that proper ventilation and air quality are paramount when providing a safe and healthy environment to patients and residents in healthcare facilities.
Not only is there an increased risk of airborne pathogens in hospital and care environments, but there is also potentially hazardous equipment like medical gas systems (MGSs). An MGS transports vital gasses like oxygen and nitrogen, which are essential to sustaining life, critical use and medical supplies. However, when in use, they can also present hazards, including asphyxiation, embolism and poisoning, as well as being combustible.
This means that the correct ventilation systems must be in place to ensure that patients and residents do not come into contact with harmful levels of these gases, a task in which fume extraction can support the medical industry.
How to keep your medical facility, staff and patients safe
The hazards we’ve discussed here can seem alarming, and caution must be retained when dealing with them. However, an up-to-date fume and dust extraction system can make all the difference.
Here at VODEX, we offer a wide range of solutions to the hazardous inhalation risks presented by the healthcare and medical industries. Our range of dedicated, scientific fume extraction solutions and fume cabinets fully comply with the necessary regulations while still being easy to clean, use and maintain. They also have various features, including electronic monitoring, resistant materials and safety alarms.
Our Instrument Enclosure systems provide a sealed, temperature-controlled environment to allow the safe testing of harmful materials. Similarly, our SafetyBox enclosures provide a safe, controlled environment for the manipulation, weighing and measuring of high-potency drugs. For a more convenient solution for your medical fume-extraction needs, consider our Lab-Bubble Pods. Fully portable and compact, they provide low-cost but highly effective support for any medical environment.
Take a look at the complete list of products we offer here, or feel free to get in touch for more detailed information.