Environmental Health

Laboratory
BSPH 123
 Environmental Health
• Your environment includes:
– the air you breathe,
– the water you drink,
– your neighborhood,
– the sites where your food is grown or prepared,
– your place of employment, and
– your residence.
• When your environment is safe and healthy, you are more likely to
maintain good health. But when your surroundings exposes you to
hazardous events or toxins, your health might be negatively impacted.
 Environmental Health
• Environmental health is the science and practice of preventing
human injury and illness and promoting well-being by:
• Identifying and evaluating environmental sources and
hazardous agents, and
• Limiting exposures to hazardous physical, chemical, and
biological agents in air, water, soil, food, and other
environmental media or settings that may adversely
affect human.
Environmental Health Laboratories
• Environmental health laboratories are one part of a greater
environmental health system. They are specialized to identify
and monitor contaminants present in the environment, food
and manufactured products.
• Some laboratories also conduct biomonitoring, which tests
blood and urine for contaminants.
• Environmental Health Laboratory provides unique laboratory
science that improves the detection, diagnosis, treatment and
prevention of diseases resulting from exposure to
environmental chemicals and selected other diseases.
Environmental Health Laboratories
• Environmental health laboratories are a critical line of defense against chemical
and biological contamination.
• Data gathered from environmental and human samples can alert environmental
health professionals to:
– decontaminate a community’s water source,
– remediate a house with lead-based paint,
– remove a tainted product from the market or
– understand the scope of a chemical event.
• Laboratory data also guide policy and regulatory changes, such as the removal of
lead from gasoline, which has dramatically decreased blood lead levels in children
over the last two decades and discouraging consumption of wild animals which
can lead to outbreaks of viral infections such as Ebola
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories
• Environmental labs conduct quality control and assurance by
implementing tests like:
– Contamination analysis - Emissions testing -Water quality testing,
– Soil testing -Trace analysis -Waste characterization
– Organic & inorganic analysis -Metals analysis -Toxicology testing,
– Biomonitoring (urine and blood) -Radiological testing.

• These environmental labs use different types of equipment to evaluate

water, soil, metals, air, waste, energetics, sludge, petroleum, as well as
chemicals depending on application requirements.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Analytical Balance)
• An analytical balance is a type of balance that is commonly used for
the measurement of mass in the sub-milligram range.
Working Principle
• These types of balances are made with a measuring pan enclosed in
a transparent covering that prevents small particles or air currents
from getting collected on the pan.
• An electric analytical balance uses the force necessary to counteract
the mass rather than measuring the mass itself.
• An electromagnet is used to create a force required to achieve a
balance with the mass of the substance, and the resulting force is
displayed.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Analytical Balance)
Uses
• As they are highly precise and based on advanced
technology, analytical balances are explicitly used in
laboratories for the effective completion of tasks like
weighing test materials and sampling amounts,
formulation, density determination, purity analysis, quality
control testing, and material and conformance testing.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Analytical Balance)
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Analytical Balance)
Maintenance
• Frequently check the calibration of the balance to ensure no error has
occurred.
• In between calibrations the key maintenance is to keep the balance
clean.
• Any material that works its way inside a balance can cause major
problems; especially if it is a corrosive material.
• Clean the balance by dusting off the stage and surrounding area with a
paint brush or similar and then gently wipe down the balance, glass
panels, and counter top around the balance with a lint free tissue.
• Ethanol can sometimes also be used depending on manufacturer and
model – always check manufacturers instructions.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Autoclave)
• An autoclave is a pressurized chamber used for the process of sterilization
and disinfection by combining three factors: time, pressure, and steam

Working Principle
• Autoclaves use steam as their sterilization agent. The basic principle of an
autoclave is that all the items within the autoclave come in direct contact
with the steam for a particular period irrespective of the nature of the
material- whether it is liquid, plastic ware, or glassware.
• The amount of time and the temperature depends on the type of material
being sterilized and the increase in temperature of the cycle allows for
shorter periods.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Autoclave)
Uses
• Autoclaves are mostly used for the sterilization of medical
or laboratory equipment with the capacity of sterilizing a
large number of materials at once.
• They are commonly used for the preparation of culture
media during laboratory applications.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Autoclave)
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Autoclave)
Maintenance
DAILY
• It is very important that the contents being sterilized are clean and free from
debris, blood and organic tissue. Otherwise the instruments or sterilizer may
become damaged
• Inspect the door gasket for excessive wear or cracking. The gasket and mating
surface should be cleaned with a mild detergent using a cloth or sponge.

WEEKLY
• Keeping your autoclave clean is one of the most important points. Be sure to clean
the trays and rack with a Non-Scratch Scour Pad using a mild non-abrasive
detergent. Always rinse the instrument well and be sure to NOT USE steel wool,
wire brush, or bleach.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Autoclave)
Maintenance
MONTHLY
• Clean the chamber and flush lines using the recommended autoclave cleaner following the
cleaner’s instructions. Normally you will need 2 gallons of distilled water to complete this
job.
• Inspect the cord and plug for overheating and excessive wear—this could be a fire hazard. If
this is the case, the power cord should be replaced. Some power cords are quick disconnect
and easily replaced. If not, the replacement will need to be done by a certified repair
company.

YEARLY
• On a yearly basis you should have your autoclave inspected, cleaned thoroughly, tested and
calibrated. This is typically referred to as a PM or Preventative Maintenance Service. This
service would normally include the replacement of wear & tear parts such as gaskets, seals
and filters. This will ensure your sterilizer is running properly and remaining in good working
order. If your autoclave is used very heavily we would recommend this service bi-annually.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Centrifuge)
A centrifuge is a device that allows the rotation of an object about a single axis, where
an outward force is applied perpendicularly to the axis. A laboratory centrifuge is
motor-based and allows the rotation of a liquid sample resulting in the separation of
the components of the mixture.
Working Principle
• A centrifuge works on the principle of sedimentation, where the high speed of the
rotation causes the denser particles to move away from the center while smaller,
less dense particles are forced towards the center.
• Thus, the denser particles settle at the bottom while the lighter particles are
collected at the top.
• In a laboratory tabletop centrifuge, the sample tubes are aligned at an angle so
that the particles have to travel a shorter distance before they hit the bottom.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Centrifuge)
Uses
• The primary application of a centrifuge is the separation of particles suspended in a
suspension.
• It can be used for the separation of cell organelles, nucleic acid, blood components,
and separation of isotopes.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Centrifuge)
Maintenance
• Clean your centrifuge daily
• Clean both the exterior and the interior of the centrifuge with a sponge, warm
water and a mild detergent.
• Do not use caustic detergents or a product that contains chlorine ions.
• A plastic scrub brush should be used to avoid damaging the coatings.
• When finished with the cleaning, you should use a centrifuge lubricant to lubricate
the bucket grooves and rubber seals.
• Only use approved disinfectants and/or spill kits to disinfect the centrifuge on a
regular basis
• Check for residue and corrosion on the rotors on a weekly or monthly basis.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Centrifuge)
Maintenance
• Scheduled regular preventative maintenance with a trained technician for your
centrifuge is vital because it increases the durability and functionality.
• Regular preventive maintenance also ensures accurate results and reliable
performance
• Regular preventive maintenance includes:
• Inspection of the physical condition
• Inspection of the electrical condition
• Cleaning and testing of the centrifuge.
• Regular preventive maintenance will not only prevent damage but can also identify
damage that has already occurred and repair it before the centrifuge is no longer
usable.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Deep Freezer)
Working Principle
• Deep freezers are based on the principle that under extremely low temperatures,
there is minimum microbial growth which allows for the protection and
preservation of different substances.
• Based on this principle, we can even preserve cultures over a long period of time
without any change in the concentration of the microorganisms.
Uses
• A deep freeze can be used for the preservation of different things used in the
laboratories for a very long period of time.
• Deep freezers are used in laboratories to store and preserve medical equipment,
food items, blood samples, medicines, and injections, etc. for a more extended
period of time.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Deep Freezer)
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Deep Freezer)
Maintenance
1. Keep the Interior Stocked keeping your units at least 30% full.

2. Clean Refrigerator and Freezer Door Gaskets

• A gasket’s purpose is to form a tight seal around the edge of the door.
Freezer and refrigerator gaskets are necessary to stop warm air from
entering, or cold air from leaving. Therefore, keeping them clean is
essential to maintaining your laboratory equipment.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Deep Freezer)
Maintenance
3. Monitor Freezer & Refrigerator Temperatures
• Most medical freezers and refrigerators have designated spaces for monitoring
equipment.
• Additionally, Ultra-Low Freezers have alarms to alert you of temperature issues.
This includes high temps, low temps, power failure, door being left open, and
more. It is important to not ignore these alarms, even though they can usually be
muted.
4. Carry out regular overall maintenance using approved service agents.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Homogenizer)
Homogenizer is a device used in laboratories for the mixing of various
liquids and materials like tissue, plant, food, soil, and many others.
Working Principle
• This instrument is based on the principle that when large globules in
coarse emulsion are passed under high pressure through a narrow
orifice, they break down into smaller particles giving a more uniform
and stable mixture.
• A homogenizer has a metal rod with narrow parallel openings in the
form of a comb at the end which acts as the orifice for the
homogenization process.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Homogenizer)
Uses
• A homogenizer is primarily used to disrupt cells to acquire cell organelles for
different microbiological processes.
• It is used in the preparation step before the extraction and purification of different
macromolecules like proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids.
Equipment Used in Environmental
Health Laboratories (Homogenizer)
Maintenance
• The homogenizer should be given the care normally required for any electrical
appliance.
• Avoid wetting or unnecessary exposure to fumes.
• The finish can be washed with water and soap or detergents, using a cloth or
sponge.
• Do not allow water to get inside the unit.
• Allow drying before using.
• When necessary replace motor unit brushes (not necessary on DPS-20 and SB-1
Homogenizers)