The Horror Behind the Gross Art of Sneeze and Cough

By Esco Healthcare 27 October, 2017

But a sneeze is even worse.

A sneeze can produce as many as 40,000 droplets with a speed greater than 200 miles per hour. Most droplets less than 100 microns in size, which is a size comparable to human hair

The heavier the droplets are, the faster they tend to fall to the ground. While the lighter and smaller droplets are less affected by gravity. They remain suspended in the air, hence, the term airborne.

While the lighter droplets automatically become airborne particles, it is not an assurance that the heavier droplets will remain stagnant on the ground. Movements inside a room can disturb the heavier droplets, making them also airborne. Opening a door can dramatically disturbed the airflow inside a room, spreading the contaminants even more.

More movement means higher possibility of producing airborne particles, thus, affecting the safety and purity of drug products. In order to minimize this kind of contamination, a clean room is required specifically for those products that are intended to be consumed by human, either in a sterile or non-sterile form.

Most airborne diseases like tuberculosis (TB) is also transmitted through airborne particles. TB patients accessing services at healthcare facilities require access to facilities for sputum induction and collection. Sputum induction and collection is considered a high risk activity due to the nature of TB transmission and the methods normally used. Facilities that can minimized contamination is needed during sputum testing and collection and the best accepted equipment to control contaminants for these processes is the sputum booth.

A cleanroom is a specially constructed room in which the concentration of airborne particles is controlled, with respect to airborne particulates, temperature, humidity, airflow patterns, air motion and pressure. (ISO)

Moreover, sets of equipment are also recommended to maintain the efficacy of cleanrooms. Esco Pharma offers the Cross Contamination Facility Integrated Barrier (CCFIB). These equipment can prevent contamination in all forms, keeping the product sterile while providing optimum protection for the operator and the environment – living a life with NO FEAR.

References:

1. Keegan, Natalie. February 2017. Time to Put Your Hand Up. Retrieved from https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/2784458/this-is-how-far-germs-from-a-cough-or-sneeze-can-travel-and-its-utterly-gross/, accessed last October 27, 2017

2. Jaslow, Ryan.  April 2014. Gross! Coughs and Sneezes from Travelling Disease Clouds. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gross-coughs-and-sneezes-form-traveling-disease-clouds/, accessed last October 27, 2017

	Cleanroom Airshowers Air Showers are self-contained chambers installed at entrances to cleanrooms and other controlled environments. They minimize particulate matter entering or exiting the clean space. Personnel and materials entering or exiting the controlled environment are "scrubbed" by high velocity HEPA-filtered air jets with velocities of 20-22m/s (4000-4300fpm). Contaminated air is then drawn through the base within the unit, filtered and recirculated.
	BioPass™ Pass Through Floor standing airtight transfer chamber with onboard ventilation and integrated hydrogen peroxide based biodecontamination system designed for passing large equipment into a ISO Class 5 cleanroom in an aseptic manner.
	Laminar Flow Storage Cabinet Cleanroom garments and accessories can accumulate contamination during storage and between laundry washes, which in turn may lead to lower product yields and increased product quality issues. Laminar flow storage cabinets make a positive contribution to maintaining the cleanliness of a cleanroom environment.
	Dynamic Passboxes and Floor Label Hatches  Dynamic Passboxes and Dynamic Floor Label Hatches are aseptic architectural systems utilized to prevent contaminants from leaking into aseptic suits. They are utilized for aseptic transfer of materials into and out from the critical process environments.
	Esco Soft Capsule Soft Wall Cleanroom  Esco Soft Capsule Soft Wall Cleanrooms are an ideal solution when clean air areas need to be created on a small to mid scale. Flexible and economical, they may be easily relocated when application requirements change. Esco offers a complete range of soft wall cleanrooms to meet various construction, dimensional and cleanliness class requirements.
	Dynamic Passboxes and Dynamic Floor Label Hatches  Dynamic Passboxes and Dynamic Floor Label Hatches are aseptic architectural systems utilized to prevent contaminants from leaking into aseptic suits. They are utilized for aseptic transfer of materials into and out from the critical process environments.
	Infinity® Air Shower Pass Box and Transfer Hatch Controlling the ingress of particulate contamination into cleanrooms and other controlled environments is paramount in order to maintain the integrity of products and processes. Personnel traffic is the most important factor which must be controlled. Esco Pass Boxes and Transfer Hatches are an effective solution as they allow materials to be transferred into the controlled environment without actual personnel movement. They may also be used to protect the external environment from egress of contamination, for example, in biological safety laboratory applications.