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Contamination control is the generic term for all activities aiming to control the existence, growth and proliferation of
contamination Contamination is the presence of a constituent, impurity, or some other undesirable element that renders something unsuitable, unfit or harmful for the physical body, natural environment, workplace, etc. Types of contamination Within the scien ...
in certain areas. Contamination control may refer to the atmosphere as well as to surfaces, to
particulate matter Particulate matter (PM) or particulates are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. An ''aerosol'' is a mixture of particulates and air, as opposed to the particulate matter alone, though it is sometimes defin ...
as well as to microbes and to contamination prevention as well as to
decontamination Decontamination (sometimes abbreviated as decon, dcon, or decontam) is the process of removing contaminants on an object or area, including chemicals, micro-organisms, and/or radioactive substances. This may be achieved by chemical reaction, dis ...
.


Function

The aim of all contamination control activities is to permanently ensure a sufficient level of cleanliness in controlled environments. This is accomplished by maintaining, reducing, or eradicating
viable Viability or viable may refer to: Biology, medicine or ecology * Viability selection, the selection of individual organisms who can survive until they are able to reproduce * Fetal viability, the ability of a fetus to survive outside of the uter ...
and non-viable contamination for either sanitary purposes or in order to maintain an efficient rate of production.


Usage

One of the most common environments that incorporates contamination control into its standards protocol is the
cleanroom A cleanroom or clean room is an engineered space that maintains a very low concentration of airborne particulates. It is well-isolated, well-controlled from contamination, and actively cleansed. Such rooms are commonly needed for scientifi ...
. There are many preventive procedures in place within a cleanroom environment. They include subjecting cleanroom staff to strict clothing regulations, and there is often a gowning room where the staff can change clothes under
sterile Sterile or sterility may refer to: *Asepsis, a state of being free from biological contaminants * Sterile (archaeology), a sediment deposit which contains no evidence of human activity *Sterilization (microbiology), any process that eliminates or ...
conditions so as to prevent any
particulate Particulate matter (PM) or particulates are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspended in the air. An ''aerosol'' is a mixture of particulates and air, as opposed to the particulate matter alone, though it is sometimes define ...
s from entering from the outside environment. Certain areas in the cleanroom have more stringent measures than others: packaging areas, corridors, gowning rooms and transfer hatches incorporate strict contamination control measures in order to maintain cleanroom standards. Contamination control is also an important asset for industrial
laboratories A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which science, scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratories are found in a variety of settings such as s ...
in the
pharmaceutical Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...
and life science sectors. Other places of use include automotive paint shops, entrances to industrial kitchens and food service providers, many manufacturing areas, and
electronic component An electronic component is any basic discrete electronic device or physical entity part of an electronic system used to affect electrons or their associated fields. Electronic components are mostly industrial products, available in a singula ...
assembly areas. More recently, effective contamination control has been a concern for laboratories and other sensitive environments as a bio-security
crisis management Crisis management is the process by which an organization deals with a disruptive and unexpected event that threatens to harm the organization or its stakeholders. The study of crisis management originated with large-scale industrial and envi ...
measure. Some
bank A bank is a financial institution that accepts Deposit account, deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital m ...
s and
insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...
companies use contamination control products as part of their
disaster management Emergency management (also Disaster management) is a science and a system charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actua ...
protocols. Preventive measures are devised as preparation for combating potential
pandemics A pandemic ( ) is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has a sudden increase in cases and spreads across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. Widespread endemic dis ...
or the proliferation of
biohazard A biological hazard, or biohazard, is a biological substance that poses a threat (or is a hazard) to the health of living organisms, primarily humans. This could include a sample of a microorganism, virus or toxin that can adversely affect huma ...
s in any potential terrorist attack.


Types of contamination

Besides particulate matter such as ions and molecules, the most common types of contamination are: * People – Hair, fibre particles from bodies and clothes, also poor hygiene leading to deposition of microorganisms * Environment –
Dust Dust is made of particle size, fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian processes, aeolian process), Types of volcan ...
particles, contaminated air, work surfaces, gases, movement ceilings, walls and floors * Materials – Microorganisms on packaging, packaging also creates particles, fibres, dust. * Equipment – Moving parts shavings drive belts. * Buildings – Paint flaking, rusty pipe work, poorly maintained surfaces. * Water – Microorganisms grow in water. equipment not cleaned correctly left in a damp condition, spills not mopped up properly etc. Many types organisms are potentially detrimental to processes in a critical environment. Seven of the most common contaminants are: * ''
Aspergillus niger ''Aspergillus niger'' is a mold classified within the ''Nigri'' section of the ''Aspergillus'' genus. The ''Aspergillus'' genus consists of common molds found throughout the environment within soil and water, on vegetation, in fecal matter, on de ...
'' * '' Burkholderia cepacia'' * ''
Clostridioides difficile ''Clostridioides difficile'' ( syn. ''Clostridium difficile'') is a bacterium known for causing serious diarrheal infections, and may also cause colon cancer. It is known also as ''C. difficile'', or ''C. diff'' (), and is a Gram-positive spec ...
'' * ''
Escherichia coli ''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Escherichia'' that is commonly fo ...
'' * Methicillin resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (MRSA) * ''
Pseudomonas aeruginosa ''Pseudomonas aeruginosa'' is a common Bacterial capsule, encapsulated, Gram-negative bacteria, Gram-negative, Aerobic organism, aerobic–facultative anaerobe, facultatively anaerobic, Bacillus (shape), rod-shaped bacteria, bacterium that can c ...
'' * '' Salmonella enteritidis'' These and many other damaging contaminants can infiltrate critical areas in many ways.
Particulates Particulate matter (PM) or particulates are microscopic particles of solid or liquid matter suspension (chemistry), suspended in the atmosphere of Earth, air. An ''aerosol'' is a mixture of particulates and air, as opposed to the particulate ...
can enter by air, or on the feet of any carrier moving between the external environment and inside the critical area, for example.


The effects of contamination

Contamination poses a significant risk to technical processes, experiments, or production activities, as well as to the individuals involved. Unguarded proliferation of contamination can quickly lead to product damage, yield reduction,
product recall "Product Recall" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American comedy television series '' The Office'' and the show's forty-ninth episode overall. The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton b ...
s and other outcomes highly detrimental to business. Products in several industries are recalled due to ineffective contamination control systems. Based on this evidence it could be argued that many businesses are not adequately protecting themselves from the harmful effects of contamination, and many products in many industries are being recalled due to unsafe manufacturing processes.


Types

Body movement causes contamination, and protective clothing such as hats, cleanroom suits and face masks are accordingly basic items of contamination control. Apart from people, another common way for contamination to enter is on the wheels of trolleys used to transport equipment. To prevent airborne contamination, high-efficiency particulate air (
HEPA HEPA (, high efficiency particulate air) filter, also known as a high efficiency particulate arresting filter, is an efficiency standard of air filters. Filters meeting the HEPA standard must satisfy certain levels of efficiency. Common standa ...
) filters, airlocks, and cleanroom suits are used. HEPA filtration systems used in the medical sector incorporate high-energy ultraviolet light units to kill the live bacteria and viruses trapped by the filter media. These measures restrict the number of particulates within the atmosphere and inhibit the growth of those that are viable.


Sticky mats

Studies by 3M show that over 80% of contamination enters the cleanroom through entrances and exits, mostly at or near floor level. To combat this problem, suitable flooring systems are used that effectively attract, retain and inhibit the growth of viable organisms. Studies show that the most effective type of flooring system is one of polymer composition. Polymer mats are particularly effective due to their suppleness as they allow for more contact with serrations on shoes and wheels and can accommodate more particles while still remaining effective. An
electrostatic potential Electric potential (also called the ''electric field potential'', potential drop, the electrostatic potential) is defined as electric potential energy per unit of electric charge. More precisely, electric potential is the amount of work needed ...
adds to the effectiveness of this type of contamination control as it enables particles to be retained until the flooring is cleaned. This method of attracting and retaining particles is more effective than mats with an active
adhesive Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation. The use of adhesives offers certain advantage ...
coating which needs to be peeled and is often not as supple. As long as the tack level of the mat is greater than the donor's (such as a foot or a wheel), the contamination touching the surface will be removed. Very high tack surfaces pose a contamination threat because they are prone to pulling off overshoe protection. Polymeric flooring is produced to ensure a higher level of tackiness than the surfaces it comes into contact with, without causing discomfort and potentially damaging 'stickiness'.


Copper alloy surfaces

Copper alloy surfaces have intrinsic properties that effectively and quickly destroy microbes. They are being installed in healthcare facilities and a subway transit system as a protective public health measure in addition to regular cleaning. The
United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it began operation on De ...
(EPA) has approved the registration of 355 different antibacterial copper alloys that kill '' E. coli'' O157:H7, ''
methicillin Methicillin ( USAN), also known as meticillin ( INN), is a narrow-spectrum β-lactam antibiotic of the penicillin class. Methicillin was discovered in 1960. Medical uses Compared to other penicillins that face antimicrobial resistance ...
''-resistant ''
Staphylococcus aureus ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often posi ...
'' (''
MRSA Methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (MRSA) is a group of gram-positive bacteria that are genetically distinct from other strains of ''Staphylococcus aureus''. MRSA is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. ...
''), ''
Staphylococcus ''Staphylococcus'', from Ancient Greek σταφυλή (''staphulḗ''), meaning "bunch of grapes", and (''kókkos''), meaning "kernel" or " Kermes", is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria in the family Staphylococcaceae from the order Bacillale ...
'', ''Enterobacter aerogenes'', and ''Pseudomonas aeruginosa''. The EPA has determined that when cleaned regularly, these copper alloy surfaces: * Continuously reduce bacterial contamination, achieving a 99.9% reduction within two hours of exposure; * Kill greater than 99.9% of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria within two hours of exposure; * Deliver continuous and ongoing antibacterial action, remaining effective in killing more than 99.9% of the bacteria within two hours; * Kill more than 99.9% of the bacteria within two hours and continue to kill 99% of the bacteria even after repeated contamination; * Help inhibit the buildup and growth of bacteria within two hours of exposure between routine cleaning and sanitizing steps. As a contamination control measure, EPA has approved a long list of antimicrobial copper products "with public health benefits" made from these copper alloys, such as bed rails, handrails, over-bed tables, sinks, faucets, door knobs,
toilet A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human waste (urine and feces) and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting p ...
hardware,
computer keyboards A computer keyboard is a built-in or peripheral input device modeled after the typewriter keyboard which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches. Replacing early punched cards and paper tape t ...
,
health club A health club (also known as a fitness club, fitness center, health spa, weight room and commonly referred to as a gym) is a place that houses exercise equipment for the purpose of physical exercise. In recent years, the number of fitness an ...
equipment,
shopping cart A shopping cart (American English), trolley (British English, Australian English), or buggy (Southern American English, Appalachian English), also known by a variety of #Name, other names, is a wheeled cart supplied by a Retail#Types of ret ...
handles, etc. (For a comprehensive list of products, see: ).


See also

*
Cleanroom A cleanroom or clean room is an engineered space that maintains a very low concentration of airborne particulates. It is well-isolated, well-controlled from contamination, and actively cleansed. Such rooms are commonly needed for scientifi ...
*
Decontamination Decontamination (sometimes abbreviated as decon, dcon, or decontam) is the process of removing contaminants on an object or area, including chemicals, micro-organisms, and/or radioactive substances. This may be achieved by chemical reaction, dis ...
*
HEPA HEPA (, high efficiency particulate air) filter, also known as a high efficiency particulate arresting filter, is an efficiency standard of air filters. Filters meeting the HEPA standard must satisfy certain levels of efficiency. Common standa ...
* Decontamination foam


References


External links


The Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology
(IEST)
Cleanrooms in Ireland

The Global Society for Contamination Control
(GSFCC)
Cleanroom Technology-The Internal Journal of Contamination Control
{{Civil defence Hygiene Security Safety Civil defense Cleanroom technology