Faster and safer safety cabinet fumigation

Published: 18-Feb-2011
Containment Manufacturing Ingredients Regulatory Cleaning

Hydrogen peroxide system offers alternative to toxic formaldehyde fumigation of safety cabinets

New from isolator producer Skan AG is the Skanair DECOSIS fumigation system, which eliminates biosafety risks prior to the maintenance of microbiological safety cabinets and other biocontainment units.

An easier and faster alternative to formaldehyde fumigation, the Skanair DECOSIS is a mobile unit used directly in the lab, and connected to the safety cabinet via two tubes. It functions autonomously thanks to a control system and catalytic converter.

Because it uses hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a biocide, decomposition products are unproblematic, and maintenance work can subsequently be safely carried out on the decontaminated cabinet.

The unit can be used to decontaminate microbiological safety cabinets in advance of maintenance work, when changing job or location, in preparation for disposal, or in the event of breakdowns or accidents.

It can also be used to decontaminate incubators, air locks and small isolators.

The cabinet continues to run in reduced mode throughout the procedure. The trained maintenance technician enters the corresponding facility parameters at a control system display, together with the quantity of H2O2 defined on the basis of the Skanair DECOSIS validation.

The process starts at the touch of a button, and runs completely automatically: the internal ventilation unit maintains slight negative pressure and feeds H2O2 vapour through the front cover into the cabinet, continuously circulating it inside the cabinet to reach all contaminated areas. The exhaust air through the cabinet‘s HEPA filter is then fed back into the Skanair DECOSIS via the second tube to be recirculated.

The decontamination phase is followed by the flushing phase: any biocides in the exhaust air from the cabinet are removed inside the Skanair DECOSIS via a catalytic converter and a final HEPA filter. This air can then be released directly into the lab, without having to be extracted via the building exhaust air system.

See more

You may also like

Containment

Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services expands fill-finish with new suite

Read more
The biopharma CDMO has announced it will soon open a high-speed multi-purpose fill-finish line in its commercial manufacturing facility located in San Diego, CA

Trending Articles

  1. NICE approves KEYTRUDA as first perioperative immunotherapy for locally advanced head and neck cancer MSD's KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) has received NICE approval as a neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy for resectable LA HNSCC—the first immunotherapy recommended in this perioperative setting and the first treatment advance in more than two decades
  2. Pfizer's HYMPAVZI receives positive CHMP opinion for haemophilia A and B patients with inhibitors The EMA's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has recommended expanding the approved indication for Pfizer's HYMPAVZI to include adolescents and adults with haemophilia A or B who have developed inhibitors to factor replacement therapies
  3. Thermo Fisher and SHL Medical collaborate to integrate autoinjector assembly with sterile fill-finish at Ridgefield site The duo will integrate the SHL's Molly autoinjector platform into Thermo's Ridgefield, New Jersey facility, creating an end-to-end US-based solution for drug-device combination products spanning sterile manufacturing, device assembly and commercial packaging
  4. Clariant opens first US pharmaceutical-grade PEG excipient manufacturing site in Texas Clariant has expanded its Clear Lake facility in Texas to produce GMP-compliant pharmaceutical-grade polyethylene glycol excipients, marking its first US-based manufacturing site for the products and strengthening supply chain resilience for North American and Latin American pharma customers

Upcoming event

Making Pharmaceuticals

21–22 April 2026 | Exhibition | Coventry, UK See all

You may also like

Containment

Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services expands fill-finish with new suite

The biopharma CDMO has announced it will soon open a high-speed multi-purpose fill-finish line in its commercial manufacturing facility located in San Diego, CA
Manufacturing

Romaco Holding appoint Chief Sales Officer

Nicola Magriotis will be responsible for the sales and service organisation of the international Romaco Group
Manufacturing

Degasser for volatile and aggressive solvents

Biotech Fluidics announce the DEGASi Integration HFIP - a high-performance online system designed to efficiently degas even the toughest solvents. This unique degasser is fully compatible with a wide range of volatile and aggressive liquids including Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and silanes but can also manage all other solvents used for GPC/SEC and HPLC
Manufacturing

Bracco upgrades GMP manufacturing facility for cell therapy product

Facility upgrades will support clinical-grade manufacturing of Bracco's microbubble-based cell selection and activation technology, with GMP readiness expected mid-2027
Manufacturing

Samsung Biologics completes acquisition of GSK facility in Maryland

Samsung Biologics has completed its acquisition of a manufacturing facility from GSK in Rockville, Maryland, adding 60,000 litres of drug substance capacity to its global capacity and establishing its first manufacturing presence in the US
Manufacturing

Bio-Sourcing and Tiny Cargo collaborate to develop oral monoclonal antibody therapies

Bio-Sourcing and Tiny Cargo Company have announced a strategic alliance to co-develop oral monoclonal antibody therapies using goat milk extracellular vesicles
Manufacturing

BASF announces up to 20% price increase on pharmaceutical excipients and selected APIs

BASF Pharma Solutions has implemented an immediate global price adjustment of up to 20% across its pharmaceutical excipients and selected active pharmaceutical ingredients portfolio, citing rising energy and raw material costs
Subscribe now