Medical environments, whether that’s the development, manufacture or packing of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, must be monitored to the highest levels to ensure complete compliance and safety for staff and end-users. To achieve this, fixed photoionisation detection (PID) sensors using the latest gas detection technology can be used to measure volatile organic compounds (VOC) outputs on multiple large sites or single key areas.
One of the most important areas for VOC monitoring is sterilisation and packaging. Many medical manufacturers use ethylene oxide for decontamination of products prior to leaving the site. Although this is a highly effective method, ethylene oxide is a harmful VOC and needs careful monitoring via PID technology to ensure the right levels are used to remove potential contaminants, but also so that the ethylene oxide is removed safely prior to distribution.
For manufacturers that handle large volumes of products or operate across multiple sites, ethylene oxide will be used frequently and at many stages of the manufacturing cycle. This requires not only highly sensitive levels of detection to ensure that the correct levels are being adhered to at particular stages, but also there is a requirement to have many sensors on and around the site so any potentially harmful levels are detected quickly.
The Falco fixed fenceline detector from ION Science is ideal for medical applications thanks to its excellent VOC sensitivity, advanced PID technology and large detection range.
ION Science is currently working with a global sterilisation and medical equipment specialist to create a complete VOC monitoring solution. The Falco fixed fenceline detector has been chosen to monitor the company’s European facilities. With eight sites identified for upgrading, three were fitted as a priority in 2021, with between 15 and 25 Falco units fitted at each facility.
Having this many Falco units means the customer has complete monitoring assurance of VOCs at every stage of production and as fixed units, the Falco needs little in the way of maintenance and will reliably record data on VOC exposure wherever needed. The Falco is enabled with both Modbus and 4-20mA output protocols for site-wide networking capabilities. This gives the customer total confidence that all products and site locations are sterilised within the legal requirements
As well as providing complete assurance across sites of any size, other benefits of the Falco include a user-friendly interface and an easy-fit and service design. The internal lamp comes with a minimum of a one-year lifespan, giving customers reliability and peace of mind. It has four detection ranges available, making it ideal for any level of sensitivity monitoring.