New continuous monitoring microbial air samplers

Published: 30-Mar-2017

The ImpactAir of slit-to-agar microbial air samples are designed for continuous monitoring in high-grade areas

Specialists in cleanroom microbiology Cherwell Laboratories have signed a distribution agreement with Pinpoint Scientific for the ImpactAir range of microbial air samplers.

The new ImpactAir range of high performance microbial air samplers has been designed to meet the demanding environmental monitoring requirements of aseptic processing in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

ImpactAir is a range of slit-to-agar microbial air samplers that complements Cherwell’s existing environmental monitoring products, including SAS and Redipor.

Whereas SAS samplers are for rapid and frequent routine sampling regimes, ImpactAir is designed for continuous monitoring in high-grade areas, for situations in which in-process sampling of viable particles is critical.

ImpactAir does not shed particles, so it can be used alongside particle counting devices. It runs with extremely low levels of vibration, so can be operated near balances.

By using larger 140mm petri dishes, such as those in the Redipor range, the ImpactAir can continuously sample to a single dish throughout longer periods.

This sampling time can be easily programmed on the touch screen user interface, from minutes up to several hours, depending on the process to be monitored.

The petri dish rotates slowly under the inlet slit to present fresh agar throughout, reducing the probability of “twin impingement”, whereby two microbes impact on an agar plate at the same point and incubate as a single colony.

ImpactAir is the first sampler of its kind to employ precision sensing and control to automatically adjust and maintain the distance between air inlet and agar surface, further enhancing sampling efficiency.

This ensures a consistent d50 value of <0.5µm is maintained throughout a sampling run – independently verified by Public Health England (PHE).

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