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SYSTEC autoclaves ensure safety in Coronavirus research
[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”sandy_brown” border_width=”3″ el_width=”10″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1564073259210{margin-top: 25px !important;margin-bottom: 25px !important;}”][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1593714880734{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]The coronavirus (COVID-19), which first appeared in the Chinese province of Wuhan at the turn of the year 2019/2020, has spread to all continents of the world in just a few weeks. International and national authorities are currently managing efforts to contain the epidemiological chain of transmission. At the same time, the virus is being created and examined in biosafety laboratories around the world so that, through research, we can understand how it works. This enables the development of drugs and vaccines against COVID-19 (2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2) in the long term. SYSTEC autoclaves are perfectly suited for use in biosafety laboratories, as they comply with the safety guidelines that have been published by the World Health Organization (WHO) for this purpose.
How do autoclaves increase safety against coronavirus?
Any further spread of the novel coronavirus could have a negative impact on the current health situation in the international community. This particularly includes the potential spread of COVID-19 by failure to comply with adequate safety standards in biological laboratories. Not only are employees themselves at risk of being infected, but waste from safety areas can also contain traces of the coronavirus, if they have not been sterilized according to WHO standards.
BSL-2/BSL-3 autoclaves ideal for coronavirus research, according to WHO
According to the WHO guideline “Laboratory biosafety guidance related to novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV)” (link: https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/laboratory-biosafety-novel-coronavirus-version-1-1.pdf?sfvrsn=912a9847_2) in the version of February 12, 2020, BSL-2 and BSL-3 biosafety levels are required to safely deal with COVID-19: laboratories in which diagnostic work such as virus sequencing, must conform to the BSL-2 standard, while laboratories in which the virus is grown or present in high concentrations must operate on the basis of BSL-3.
Dealing with COVID-19 safely
In both cases, SYSTEC Laboratory Autoclaves are ideal for the sterilization of contaminated waste, instruments, culture media or laboratory equipment in order to prevent the accidental spread of the coronavirus. This is mainly due to the three main properties that the WHO stipulates as mandatory or recommended for BSL-2 and BSL-3 compliant sterilization equipment. SYSTEC is offering safe and validatable sterilization solutions with accurate documentation.
Vacuum system
SYSTEC’s Autoclaves feature a vacuum system that removes air from the device’s sterilization chamber through several vacuum pulses prior to the actual autoclaving process. Cold air can thus be removed from solids (e.g. pipette tips, cups) and porous materials (e.g. textiles, filters) to ensure the sterilization effect of the subsequently injected saturated steam. Thus, for example, SYSTEC Autoclaves prevent coronavirus pathogens in cold air compartments from surviving the heating process.
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Exhaust air filtration
One possible hazard that derives from an autoclave is the possibility of certain pathogens escaping through the exhaust air during the sterilization process, before the temperatures required for inactivation are reached. When working with the corona virus, you can easily prevent this effect by utilizing the exhaust air filtration feature. In SYSTEC Autoclaves, exhaust air filtration uses sterile 0.2 μm pore air filters, with a heat-resistant PTFE membrane, which reliably traps microorganisms. As a result, all exhaust gases must exit through the sterile air filter in the heating and sterilization phase. This and the additional inactivation or sterilization of the condensate ensures that no non-sterile or contaminated material can escape from the sterilization chamber.
Accurate documentation
To contain the new coronavirus, it is essential to understand its paths. SYSTEC Autoclaves ensure this by digitally documenting all sterilization processes. Among other things, the system records temperatures and sterilization periods so that any application errors can be tracked by lab staff. If there is coronavirus contamination due to faulty work processes, it can be determined exactly which sterilization items were affected and when the faulty process occurred, allowing a resulting chain of infection to be quickly identified and stopped.
Conclusion
The fact that SYSTEC Laboratory Autoclaves are perfectly suited for the sterilization of laboratory waste, culture media and hazardous biological substances in compliance with WHO guidelines, can already be proven because China, as the epicenter of the epidemic, relies on SYSTEC solutions for research containing the coronavirus. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already purchased a large number of SYSTEC Autoclaves through our subsidiary in Shanghai, for use in BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories across the country and adjacent countries. As a global market leader in the Laboratory Autoclaves sector and with more than 20 years of experience, SYSTEC has extensive knowledge in reliable and validatable sterilization solutions, with the corresponding documentation options. SYSTEC Autoclaves, in conjunction with the appropriate occupational safety processes, ensure the compliance of BSL-2 and BSL-3 laboratories in accordance with World Health Organization guidelines. Now, the priority is to protect everyone’s health and well-being and contain the coronavirus. SYSTEC constantly renews itself, following global developments and implementing WHO recommendations consistently and with the utmost care.
Source: https://www.systec-lab.com/news-events/safe-coronavirus-research-thanks-to-systec-autoclaves/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_basic_grid post_type=”post” max_items=”3″ element_width=”12″ gap=”15″ item=”958″ grid_id=”vc_gid:1593714107485-574ee9e7-41d0-9″ taxonomies=”4, 1, 5, 3″][/vc_column][/vc_row]
