NEW Esco White Paper - Effectiveness of ULPA Filter for Contamination Control in CO2 Incubators
Jun 06, 2011

Singapore June 7, 2011 – Esco announces the publication of a new white paper that documents the effectiveness of the ULPA filter in removing Air Contaminants from the CO₂ incubator chamber.
 
For years CO₂ incubators have proved to be a reliable and user-friendly piece of equipment for researchers and laboratory operators. They are widely used for applications such as cell culturing, biochemical studies, pharmaceutical and food processing.
 
Laboratory incubators are used to grow and maintain cell cultures and normally come in a variety of sizes and types. On the other hand, CO₂ incubators work to control three important variables related to the tissue and cell culturing mammalian environment and these are CO₂ level, temperature and relative humidity (RH).
 
A good controlled environment that is free from any contaminants is very important in supporting the cell growth. For several years, contaminants have become a serious issue in terms of cleanliness within the CO2 incubator. Microbial contamination caused by bacteria, bacterial spores, viruses, mycetozoa, yeast or other microorganisms often cause major risks to cell culture experiments.
 
Many manufacturers are working toward addressing some of the most common challenges associated with cell culturing and one of those is reducing aerial contamination. Today, there are several incubators available on the market that offer a high-temperature decontamination cycle that works much like a self-cleaning oven.
 
Besides instant decontamination configuration, there some continuous contamination removal units that work all the time and do not have to be initiated manually. One technology uses Ultra Low Particulate Air (ULPA) filtration to continuously cycle the air and remove airborne particulates and contaminants. An ULPA filter (theoretically) can remove from the air at least 99.999% of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any airborne particle with a size larger than 0.12 μm.
 
The physical tests performed by Esco are accurate and can be used to validate the equipment’s performance against accepted criteria such as airborne particulate contaminants. The tests use a challenge of B. subtilis var globigii spore suspension.
 
The test results indicate that the ULPA filter re-circulating system provides high efficiency airborne contaminant removal inside the chamber via the airflow system. Therefore, this condition enhances the cleanliness of the CO₂ incubator especially and the cell culture laboratory in general.

Since 1978, Esco has emerged as a leader in the development of controlled environment, laboratory and cleanroom equipment solutions. Products sold in more than 100 countries include air showers, biological safety cabinets, downflow booths, ductless fume hoods, fan filter units, hospital pharmacy isolators, IVF workstations, lab animal research products, laboratory fume hoods, laboratory incubators, laboratory ovens, laminar flow cabinets, microplate shaker/incubators, modular cleanrooms, PCR cabinets, thermal cyclers and powder weighing balance enclosures.