Jesse Coiro leads Erlab as the director of NA operations, overseeing the company’s strategic vision, product development, and operations. Jesse has over 25 years of experience providing solutions that enhance safety in the biopharma, pharmaceutical, medical device, and educational markets, with a specialty in air filtration solutions that protect personnel, facilities, and the environment. His work includes USP <797> and <800> compliance, developing sterile preparation and processing strategies, and environmental monitoring for aseptic processing. Jesse also leads Erlab’s IAQ division, working to develop IAQ strategies and implement solutions that create a healthier environment inside and outside laboratories.
Jesse Coiro, director of North American operations at Erlab
Credit: Jesse Coiro
Q: What are the most common misconceptions around ductless filtering fume hoods, and how can safety be ensured with these systems?
A: One of the biggest misconceptions is that they can only handle small volumes of chemicals and that the chemicals entering the hood are exhausted back into the same environment.
To ensure safety, we run feasibility studies to determine filter longevity based on the chemicals used. We must also provide a guarantee of safety that no release will exceed one percent of the threshold limit value (TLV) throughout the filter’s life cycle.
There’s also a misconception that we can’t detect potential breakthroughs and that once it’s detected, it’s too late, meaning we have re-entrainment into the lab or the room the fume hood is in. The sensors integrated into our technology are between a primary and secondary stage of filtration. If concentration spikes are detected, we have backup redundancy built in to continue scrubbing any chemicals, ensuring that even at the detection stage, release will not exceed one percent of the chemicals’ TLV at the filter’s exhaust.
Q: What strategies or technologies exist for detecting filter saturation before a breakthrough event occurs?
A: That’s usually a dry contact metal oxide sensor that detects millivolt spikes.
When we do a feasibility study of the chemicals used within the fume hood, we determine the first prominent breakthrough chemical. Based on that analysis, we code the sensor to detect a certain spike—a trigger value, essentially. Depending on the chemical we’re detecting, we usually see a spike between 25 and 50 percent of the chemical’s TLV.
At this point, that millivolt is going to detect the saturation load, past the primary stage of filtration, not the secondary. In fact, as I mentioned before, if we detect a saturation spike past the primary stage, we still have to guarantee that no release exceeds one percent of the TLV.
Q: What safety requirements and standards should lab managers be aware of when installing and operating ductless filtering fume hoods?
A: The most important standard for filtration technology is AFNOR NF X 15-211. It encompasses the product in its entirety, but it really focuses on filtration efficiency. Next to that, ANSI Z9.5-2022 also points to the AFNOR standard. Other standards include NFPA 45 and CSA Z316 for our Canadian customers. These are the main standards lab managers should look at. And, of course, you want to make sure the fume hood complies with ASHRAE 110 as far as containment is concerned.
Q: What should lab managers keep in mind when purchasing a filter, and what steps can they take to maintain its performance over time?
A: Before purchasing any type of filtration technology, you have to ensure the filter can actually handle the chemicals that will be used. This can only be done through a validation process, or what I like to call a feasibility study of the filter’s performance based on handlings. The manufacturer should review this information and provide details on the filter’s retention capacity based on the total evaporation of the chemicals used in the hood. This will be followed by a filter life cycle, which must be guaranteed by the manufacturer.
It’s also important to remember that filters need to be replaced, and there’s a cost associated with that, which should be included as part of their budget, whether that’s annually or biannually, depending on how frequently the filter needs to be changed.
To maintain performance, proper administrative controls must also be in place. Meaning you can’t use a ductless fume hood like you would a ducted one, where you put any chemical inside and allow it to evaporate. With any engineered control device, proper administrative controls must be established. For ductless fume hoods, it’s important to minimize evaporation to maintain filter longevity. I’ll also state that managing chemical evaporation should be common practice, regardless of hood type, to reduce waste and lower exposure limits.
Q: What do the new EPA regulations on methylene chloride (DCM) and formaldehyde mean for labs, and how can filtration systems help labs adapt to these changes?
A: These regulations mean labs need to pay attention to their overall pollution load, and that we can’t just assume “good enough” is good enough. It isn’t. DCM, a known carcinogen, has now been deemed very dangerous. In fact, the EPA is trying to get rid of DCM altogether. Not all labs can eliminate DCM completely, so it’s important to minimize the volume of DCM and formaldehyde handling whenever possible and be sure that when these chemicals are used, the breathing zone is protected with a device that eliminates any inhalation risk.
How does filtration impact that? When you introduce filtration into any lab, you’re constantly filtering. So, any fugitive emissions present are mitigated. This provides a solution wherever the chemical exists—whether under a containment device like a fume hood, passing through the lab, or sitting in storage. By involving filtration in these processes, we can mitigate the risks of emission exposure simply, with no impact on the building’s HVAC.
Q: How can filtration technologies support energy savings and reduce the lab’s environmental footprint?
A: Each filter we manufacture uses coconut shells as the organic media, supporting a zero-carbon footprint. With ductless fume hoods and filtration in general, we’re not taking conditioned or polluted air and throwing it into the atmosphere, as the contaminants are retained within the filter cartridge.
What does that do? It significantly reduces the lab’s energy use. If you look at CO2 emissions over 20 years, comparing ducted to ductless fume hoods, there’s a reduction of over 94 percent. In savings, that’s between $4,000 and $9,000 annually per fume hood—so it’s substantial.
After filters are used, the proper disposal method is incineration. These incinerators contribute to 14 megawatts of clean, turbine-generated energy. Each filter we manufacture, when incinerated, contributes 73 kilowatt-hours of energy. It’s a very energy-efficient, cradle-to-grave process.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share?
A: I’d like to add that buildings today need to be designed with sustainability in mind. We’re seeing local legislation, like Local Law 97 in New York and BERDO in Boston, pushing for lower emissions. We can no longer build with massive amounts of energy and dump pollutants into the atmosphere.
We all have to do our part to reduce emissions and greenhouse gases. When designing or renovating a lab, look at alternative solutions and be educated about the products you’re considering. We don’t have to do things the old way all the time. Traditionalism isn’t always the best path forward. That’s why new standards are written. That’s why innovation happens.
To learn more, visit usa.erlab.com