C/S - The Role of Laboratory Wall Coatings in Containment Procedures
Construction Specialties - The Role of Laboratory Wall Coatings in Containment Procedures
CS - Laboratory
Fans of the cult classic TV show Breaking Bad will remember that Walter White, aka Heisenberg, liked a clean lab, cleaning all the machinery and equipment daily, and risking his life to swat a fly and ensure a quality “batch”.
This meticulous attention to cleanliness and the removal of contaminants is something that is replicated 1000x over in real world superlabs, hospitals and containment suites, all to ensure a quality product, test result or further essential research.
The cleanliness of a laboratory doesn’t just come down to how clean the lab equipment, machinery or items in the room are, but how clean the lab itself is and how easy it is to clean, from the floor to ceiling and everything in between. As Heisenberg demonstrated with the fly, anything and anyone that enters the lab can potentially cause a contamination, ruin a batch or spoil a test result.
Which is why a fabric first approach is key to ensuring a truly clean and contaminant free zone. For laboratories especially it is important to specify resilient and easy to clean wall, floor and ceiling finishes which are easy to clean and can withstand the intensive cleaning and decontamination regimes.
Most anti-bacterial paints incorporate a silver biocide in the top layer of the system to kill bacteria. But, over time intensive cleaning regimes dilute and wash away the silver biocide, diminishing its ability to kill bacteria. In some cases the cleaning regimes are so intense that they will actually dissolve the coating itself, leaving a horrible mess and an unusable laboratory.
Typically after 18 to 24 months, most of the silver biocide has leached out, micro-organisms can proliferate, and repainting is needed to restore the active ingredient. In addition, when subjected to impact, conventional paints can crack, allowing bacteria and fungi to multiply, with paint flakes also becoming a potential contaminant.
But how do you create a laboratory Heisenberg himself would be proud of?
Introducing C/S Wallglaze Performance Coatings
To solve these problems, Wallglaze performance coatings have been specifically designed for the internal walls and ceilings of hygiene and contaminant sensitive environments, such as laboratories.