Q: How can laboratories decontaminate CO₂ incubators without having to spend a long time decommissioning them?

Most CO₂ incubators on the market rely on high heat decontamination to fully decontaminate the interior for the proper conditions of cell culture. However, this method may come with significant drawbacks and issues for lab operations and cell culture. The decontamination process may take approximately 14-18 hours from start to finish which forces scientists to relocate or pause their cell culture work. Additionally, many scientists speak of issues with this method such as malodorous chemical smells, significant heating loads within the space, and additional time needed to make sure the internal components are protected from damage during the decontamination process.

A: Leveraging UV light and H₂O₂ decontamination may reduce or eliminate issues associated with high heat decontamination in CO₂ incubators.

Issues associated with high heat decontamination have led to the development of alternative methods of decontamination that address long process times, additional heating loads, and internal component considerations. UV light and H₂O₂ combined result in a decontamination process of less than four hours, no additional heating loads, and minimal issues with internal components while still providing as good of a decontamination as high heat would provide. PHCbi brand cell culture incubators featuring an H₂O₂ and UV light decontamination process can start in the morning and finish by the early afternoon to allow scientists to continue with their cell culture experiments.

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As a crucial piece of laboratory equipment, PHCbi brand cell culture incubators are designed to ensure highly accurate, reproducible chamber conditions. An integral decontamination system using hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) vapor safely cleans the interior chamber in less than three hours after cycle initiation. This system is safe, efficient, and effective against contaminants that typically enter the incubator during door openings. A 100 percent kill rate with at least six log reductions is documented against major pathogens. Following cleaning, the SafeCell™ UV light reduces H₂O₂ to harmless water vapor and the incubator can be immediately placed back into service.

To learn more, visit https://www.phchd.com/us/biomedical/cell-culture-incubators