Safety, Hazard Containment & Sterilising Equipment


Why failing to decontaminate your glassware could be devastating for your research


Nadine Bellamy-Thomas, National Account Manager for decontamination and medical, Miele, miele.co.uk. No matter what your area of research is, contamination is a daily threat which your laboratory must take seriously.


Contamination comes from a wide variety of sources, including the people working in the lab, the water source and even the air itself. But one major risk factor comes from improper cleaning and disinfection of the laboratory glassware and equipment being used in testing and research.


Clean laboratory glassware is essential to any successful laboratory and, in many lab environments, it must be completely free of any residue, grease or impurities to ensure results are accurate and uncompromised. This level of clean is extremely diffi cult and time- consuming to achieve through handwashing, so using a laboratory-standard glasswasher or washer-disinfector can help you achieve consistent and reliable cleaning results.


Cleaning at high temperatures will remove contaminants including viruses, spores, fungi and harmful bacteria. If equipment is needed to be sterile, an autoclave will be required.


Having a written policy for all team members using your laboratory will help make sure that all cleaning, disinfection and sterilising processes are properly adhered to. It is also important to establish a routine where thorough cleaning and disinfection is carried out at the start and end of every day. Documenting the cleaning status of every item of equipment in a logbook will help make sure procedures are followed and nothing is missed.


Improper technique is responsible for much of the contamination which occurs in laboratories, so identifying and addressing any bad habits in the team is an important part of maintaining a clean and contamination-free environment.


Thoroughly cleaning and decontaminating your laboratory will also ensure any regulations are adhered to and avoid any potential legal ramifi cations as you will be able to prove that all necessary precautions have been taken.


Improper cleaning can lead to errors in results


If cleaning is not carried out properly, this could potentially cause errors or inaccuracies in your results and even the creation of unwanted products. Even microscopic traces of foreign materials could affect results, which could have an impact on your overall research. It can also potentially put members of your team at risk if they are handling glassware which is not free from contaminants.


Failure to decontaminate equipment properly will also lower the overall hygiene levels in the workplace and mean that your team has less control over which substances are present in the laboratory environment.


Contamination in the laboratory can belong to three broad categories – biological, physical and chemical. When it comes to biological contamination, the contaminants most likely to cause a potential problem are bacteria, moulds, yeasts, viruses, mycoplasma and cross- contamination from other cell lines in the same lab.


Laboratory personnel themselves are a major source of contamination and physical contaminants can include hair, fl akes of skin and bodily fl uids. Contamination can also come from objects within the laboratory and could include materials like fl akes of paint, broken glass or dust particles, as well as traces of detergent which might be left behind from cleaning processes.


Chemicals being used within the laboratory also pose a serious contamination risk and it is vital to ensure even the smallest traces of substances are removed before the equipment or glassware is used for another purpose.


Chemical contamination is classed as any non-living substance which might have an undesirable impact and can include impurities found in gases, water, metal ions and detergents.


For researchers who work with microbial cultures, contamination is one of the biggest risks and can result in false-positive results and the loss of valuable laboratory strains, which could cause signifi cant delays to research and be time-consuming and expensive to replace.


Most contamination occurs through human error and problems with technique or procedures. While laboratory glassware and equipment are only one source of potential contamination, ensuring robust cleaning, disinfection and sterilisation takes place in your laboratory whenever it is needed is essential to minimise the risk.


It is common for laboratories to put a lot of thought and planning into avoiding any potential cross-contamination of samples. However, making sure glassware and equipment is cleaned effectively can sometimes be neglected in comparison with team members focusing greater attention on other areas of laboratory safety and cleanliness.


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