Written by Bob Sandor
Scientific lab refrigerators and lab freezers are substantial investments necessary to insure compliance with storage regulations for pharmaceuticals, vaccines, enzymes, blood, plasma, cultures and similar products. If these units malfunction due to improper operation and maintenance, your organization is not only subject to being cited for non-compliance by the FDA and/or other regulatory authorities but also the financial loss of the contents in the lab refrigerator or lab freezer.
While lab refrigerator and lab freezer manufacturers such as Norlake Scientific provide detailed instructions on the proper setup and use of these units, operating procedures should be detailed in your company’s operations manual to govern their use and maintenance during their service life. As one example, floor plan reconfigurations in your lab or manufacturing facility may change, resulting in the lab refrigerator or lab freezer being moved. Wherever they are relocated, care must be taken to insure the move is done properly.
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Written by Rachel Kohn
Stringent requirements for pharmaceutical and vaccine storage cover not only storage temperatures but also ongoing temperature monitoring. Undercounter lab refrigerators and undercounter lab freezers by Nor-Lake Scientific and available from Tovatech have recently been upgraded with new features to meet these requirements.
Two examples are the 4 cu.ft. and 5 cu.ft. auto-defrost laboratory refrigerators, both newly equipped with microprocessor temperature controllers and LED displays. The undercounter lab refrigerator can be controlled from 2˚ to 10˚ C (35.6˚ – 50˚F). The set temperature is displayed, and should temperatures vary outside the set temperature audio and visual alarms sound. As an added feature the units can be connected to a remote alarm system to alert personnel working in other lab locations.
A third model is an undercounter manual defrost laboratory freezer for storing frozen vaccines that should not be kept in auto-defrost freezers. This vaccine freezer has an optional sealable 1-inch sensor port to provide a means of connection between the internal thermocouple and external display module. Because of this there is no need to run thermocouple wiring behind the door gasket. It too can be connected to remote alarm systems.
All three models have lockable doors to comply with JCAHO regulations.
Complementing the existing line of Nor-Lake refrigerators and freezers these three undercounter models further enable laboratories and healthcare facilities to meet recommended pharmaceutical and vaccine storage requirements.
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What procedures does your laboratory or healthcare facility follow for the storage and monitoring of pharmaceuticals and vaccines?
Nor-Lake’s NSLR051WMW/0 Undercounter Refrigerator with optional casters as available from Tovatech. The LED monitor is at the lower left.
Written by Rachel Kohn
Low temperature chromatography is a highly specialized area that is carried out in an environment requiring precisely controlled temperature. Examples include analysis, separation and/or purification of temperature sensitive biological materials such as proteins, antibodies and enzymes. While these studies can be undertaken in a cold room, a chromatography refrigerator can be a cost effective alternative that does not require lab personnel to work in a confined space. Moreover, a chromatography refrigerator is a better solution when portions of the test equipment should be operated at room temperature.
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Written by Rachel Kohn
Calls for blood donors often intensify after local or regional disasters as public safety responders and healthcare facilities seek additional supplies from local blood banks. A blood bank refrigerator performs an important function in maintaining the safety of blood according to regulations by the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). Other standards organizations include the American Association of Blood Banks (ABBA) and the American Red Cross.
Section (h) of the FDA’s 21CFR640.4 relates to the storage of blood immediately following collection. It states that unless the blood is to be used for platelets it should be placed in storage at temperatures of 1 to 6˚C (39 to 43˚F).
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