Water quality plays a critical role in the pharmaceutical industry, where stringent requirements must be met to ensure the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products. Different pharmaceutical processes demand varying levels of water quality, making it essential to have precise control over water purification systems. Contaminated water can jeopardize product quality and, ultimately, patient safety. […]
What is a foundational piece of your cleanroom contamination control strategy? Your gowning protocol. Humans, by far, produce the most particles in a cleanroom and your gowning protocol can limit that number. While we have a number of ways to improve your gowning protocol across the board, it is important to recognize that different ISO classifications require […]
An active air sampler is one of the tools you can use in your cleanroom to monitor contamination, but, specifically, it is the tool you can use to monitor viable contamination. These are live microbes, so they have the potential to grow, like mold or fungi. While a particle counter can tell if contamination is […]
Testing of compressed gases is a GMP requirement when such gases are used in cleanroom applications. It is critical for such testing to occur since product process zones in ISO 5 cleanrooms and zones require tight control on contamination and compressed gases used may also if not checked correctly be an avenue for particulate contamination […]
It is no mystery that cleanrooms need to be, well, clean. From the surfaces and tools to the air in the cleanroom, everything needs to remain at a certain level of cleanliness depending on the cleanroom’s classification and application. Those criteria extend to the compressed gasses used in cleanrooms, as well, like oxygen, hydrogen, methane, […]
Lighthouse offers an opportunity to sample the contamination level in compressed gases. In the electronics industry as well as the Pharma industry contamination control of compressed gas has been getting more important over the last few years.
If you use compressed gasses in your cleanroom, ISO 8573 is an important set of guidelines and regulations for your cleanroom, specifically ISO 8573-1:2010. This set of guidelines is maintained and governed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an international, non-governmental organization dedicated to creating worldwide standards for a variety of industries. ISO standards […]
If you know us, then you know that clean air and water is our passion in life. But what happens when you cannot prove to the regulatory authorities that your air and water is clean? Cleanrooms and monitoring systems generate a lot of data. In an 8 hour shift, as many as 5,000 individual count […]
A PQ is a performance qualification which is conducted prior to a system becoming operational. The PQ tests the system to ensure it meets its operational objectives in a real world operational environment. It is the final step in equipment and systems qualification. A PQ should never be a re-execution of the vendor supplied Operational […]
Did you know we start to mitigate risk in our lives as early as 6 months old? That’s right: at 6 months old, an infant can recognize a stranger and knows – in their gut – that the unfamiliar person could pose a risk. The following cries are the baby’s form of risk mitigation. But […]
If you are working with a pharmaceutical or semiconductor manufacturing cleanroom, you most likely have seen ultrapure water in action. This water is used for water for injectables (WFI) in pharmaceuticals and as a chisel for semiconductors. While it has many other purposes, these are the primary two. And those two industries use a lot […]
Anyone who has used an N95 face mask knows that they are far from comfortable: they pinch in all the wrong places, they fail fit tests, and they limit your vision. As you have to fiddle with your face mask, its functionality and protection comes into question. As the world’s leading clean air experts for […]
What is the biggest villain in the contamination control and cleanroom world? Particles. Contamination. This contamination can cause yield and financial loss, delays, frustration, and physical threats to the end user. It is something that should be avoided wherever possible. To minimize contamination risk in your cleanroom, you first need to understand what contamination control […]
Air Sampler impaction technology has been around for decades. However the d50 is a little know aspect of air sampler technology design and it plays a critical role in air sample capture. Aerosol Impaction is the process in which particles are removed from an air stream by forcing the gases to make a sharp bend. […]
Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide (VHP) is a powerful chemical used to sterilize surfaces andequipment in the cleanroom, specifically in the medical equipment and pharmaceuticalindustries. It can cause deterioration and breakdown of equipment. Due to the nature of theindustries in which it is used, VHP is often used to sterilize equipment while the cleanroomis in use. Thus, […]
The Good Automated Manufacturing Practices (GAMP) were developed by the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) for pharmaceutical cleanrooms. The ISPE remains the governing body for GAMP. According to ISPE, GAMP is, “A system for producing quality equipment using the concept of prospective validation following a life cycle model. Specifically designed to aid suppliers and users […]
How many times have you heard us say, “your cleanroom filtration is critical”? Probably more than once if you’ve spent any time interacting with us. But not all filtration is the same! Depending on your filter and application, there are different cleanroom particle filtration techniques. Today, we’ll be covering 4 of them. Straining/Sieving This technique is […]
Your filters are what separates your cleanroom from just some ordinary, run-of-the-mill room. They stop potentially harmful contaminants from entering the room. They prevent yield loss and harm to the end-user. Most importantly, the filters’ MPPS defines your cleanroom’s potential classification. This classification limits your cleanroom’s applications. Cleanroom filtration is defined by the type of […]
Cleanrooms require air filters in order to trap contaminants from entering the cleanrooms air supply through its HVAC system. Cleanrooms are controlled environments where the control of temperature/humidity, pressure and particles are essential for optimum operational performance.
Particle Counter management is a critical process in ensuring particle counter health and data integrity. The accuracy of the data from particle counters is critical in regulated industries. Particle Counters should be calibrated regularly based on their use. Manufacturers recommend that Particle Counters are calibrated at a minimum on an annual basis.
In an ever changing world, we are constantly seeing new regulations and expectations. This is especially true in the area of computerized system compliance and validation. GAMP was designed to address these needs. GAMP (Good Automated Manufacturing Practices) is a system designed specifically for suppliers and users in pharmaceuticals. GAMP certifies a system that produces quality […]
So you’re going to classify your cleanroom. But what cleanroom classifying tools can you use that will make the process painful and easy? First things first, let’s define cleanroom classification. The International Standards for Organization (ISO) is one organization that sets cleanroom classifications. ISO is a non-governmental agency that sets standards in a number of industries. These […]
So what exactly makes a cleanroom… A cleanroom? First and foremost, a cleanroom needs to be clean. You are able to communicate just how clean it is through its cleanroom classification. But you cannot attain the classification without first making sure your cleanroom is really that clean. You do this through a proper cleanroom contamination control strategy […]
What happens if an injectable is contaminated? Infections, complications, vein irritation, local tissue infarction, anaphylactic shock, other health risks, and potentially death… The end-user is put in jeopardy. That is why it is vital we prevent contamination at the source: in the cleanroom during the manufacturing of the pharmaceuticals. This involves utilizing a liquid particle counter […]
Water is an essential part of everyday life, and certain cleanrooms are no different – especially in pharmaceuticals. But water is unique apart from other products and process ingredients because ultrapure water is not subject to testing or batch-lot release before use and is drawn from on-demand systems. Additionally, results from water testing are not […]
Water. It makes up 70% of our bodies, but, even more importantly, it serves as a vital ingredient and manufacturing component in cleanrooms. Before we are able to introduce it into the cleanroom setting – especially as part of the product, such as in injectables and other pharmaceuticals – it needs to be purified. We’ve […]
As the world’s clean air experts, we talk a lot about monitoring your cleanroom’s cleanliness by keeping an eye on airborne particles. But what happens when airborne particles are no longer airborne? That is what we call particle deposition. When a particle deposits, it causes contamination and chaos in a cleanroom. So it is important […]
Everyone with a cleanroom could use a particle counter, right? But which particle counter is right for you, and WHY is that particle counter a portable one? First and foremost, a portable particle counter creates its own vacuum, can be moved, and typically displays its reading on a built-in screen. This prevents you from leaving […]
Your Environmental Monitoring System (EMS): the frontline between your product and contamination. Or, at least, letting you know there is contamination so you can determine what the problem is and fix it! This means that an effective EMS is able to recognize when things are going wrong. The cornerstone of this process is conducting a Performance […]
What is something that is truly indestructible? Comic book fans will say a vibranium-metal alloy, while others might say that diamonds are about as close as we’ll get in reality. But something is being manufactured on our planet today that is genuinely indestructible. Plastic. That’s right: the plastic we are making today is here to […]
Your cleanroom contamination control strategy is the frontline between you and contaminated products, which can lead to yield loss, slowed production, and possible reputation damage. So when was the last time you really dove into your cleanroom contamination strategy? We highly recommend reviewing your strategy yearly to make sure you are still meeting industry best […]
