Whatever your contamination control requirements, Cintas has a range of garments and products in a variety of fabrics to help you manage your controlled environment. Depending on the classification of your cleanroom, there may be different requirements for the garments you have to wear. Human hygiene can be improved by using disposable clothing or by selecting sterile clothing that reduces the amount of sweat build-up.
In addition to wearing the appropriate protective garb, all personnel engaging with cleanroom environments must be trained in correct contamination control theory. Depending on the specific cleanroom within a given industry or company, protocols often include specific ways to don and doff PPE as well as specific methods for entering and exiting the enclosed space. As a reference, ambient room air contains approximately 35,200,000 particles per cubic meter measuring at 0.5 micron and larger. This is equivalent to an ISO 9 cleanroom classification, which is the lowest level of cleanroom standards.
Physical contaminants include skin cells that flake off, dandruff, clothing fibers, and loose hair. Paper, pencils, packaging materials, and many other things shed dust, and even tiny particles can damage the delicate products built and tested in clean rooms. Disposable garments are convenient and effectively prevent contamination, while reusable garments are better for the environment and can also reduce costs in the long run. Reusable garments are more durable can be cleaned and sterilized in-house or with a cleaning service, but repeated washing does eventually cause them to break down over time and release particles that compromise cleanliness.
As an additional note, it’s important to realize that the type of cleanroom clothing required is partly dictated by the ISO Class of the facility. An ISO 7 facility, for instance, is considerably more lenient in its clothing requirements than the ISO 4 cleanroom. Among other things, ISO 4 cleanrooms usually mandate the wearing of coveralls and goggles, while these items are generally unneeded in ISO 7 facilities.
However, it is essential to ensure that this apparel is cleaned properly; contaminated clothing defeats the whole purpose of wearing it. Conversely, an ISO 1 cleanroom classification must contain no more than 0.35 particles per cubic meter at Sanitary Lab Uniforms Rental 0.5 micron and larger. And an ISO 5 cleanroom classification (which is equivalent to class 100 from the retired-US FED Standard 209E) must contain no more than 3,520 particles per cubic meter measuring greater than or equal to 0.5 micron.
For example, a low rated cleanroom would require cleanroom workers to be clad in coveralls with taped cuffs. Regardless, the uniforms are made of synthetic fibers designed to prevent the passing of particles or lint attraction. Shoes worn outside a cleanroom facility are generally inappropriate for cleanroom use. These are shoes worn only on the job, and are much cleaner and freer of particles than daily-wear shoes.
Personnel must be able to don their clothing while preventing it from touching the ground, where it can pick up contaminants, at any time during the process. Many cleanrooms place a sticky mat before the entrance to remove dirt and other contaminants from the shoes of personnel. Air filtration, special protective clothing is used to prevent cleanroom contamination.
A cleanroom suit, clean room suit, or bunny suit, is an overall garment worn in a cleanroom, an environment with a controlled level of contamination. One common type is an all-in-one coverall worn by semiconductor and nanotechnology line production workers, technicians, and process / equipment engineers. Similar garments are worn by people in similar roles creating sterile products for the medical device and biopharmaceutical industries. Cleanrooms are facilities with high cleanliness requirements to ensure sensitive items are produced or handled free of air particles, dirt and bacteria.
The cleanliness of sterile clothing is important to consider in order to prevent the clothing from itself becoming a source of contamination. For example, sterile gloves that have been washed in di-ionised water, cleanroom packed, sterile validated and specified for low endotoxin levels can help lower the risk of particle, microbiological and endotoxin contamination. Sterile apparel that is laundered, cleanroom packed in individual vacuum packaging, double-bagged and provided with periodic sterile validation will also contribute to lower contamination risks. Sterile gloves made from synthetic materials are beneficial because they can eliminate the risk of contaminating the final product with rubber latex proteins, which can be a problem for patients with latex allergies. A cleanroom is a controlled environment where products are packed, manufactured, and assembled.