Biorepository Safety

 

What is a Biorepository?

A biorepository, or "biobank",  is a specialized facility designed to store, archive, and distribute biological samples for research or clinical purposes. Biorepositories house biological samples, such as blood, plasma, urine, saliva, tissues, DNA, and organs, among other specimen types, collected from consenting individuals. Critical associated information, including relevant health information about the donor, is linked to the sample, given a unique identifier, and uploaded into a laboratory information management system. Scientists use samples stored in biorepositories to research diseases and develop new treatments, drugs, and vaccines, among other applications. Biorepositories provide secure environments that help ensure the integrity of the samples stored within, and allow researchers an efficient way to access the samples they need for their studies.

How are Biological Samples Stored?

Cryopreservation is the most commonly used method for freezing and storing biological samples.  This method most often uses liquid nitrogen (LN2) to achieve the ultra-low temperature necessary for cryopreservation, usually between -80°C and -196°C. Biorepositories use cryogenic freezers and LN2  to achieve and maintain the super-cold temperatures required for long-term sample storage.

Biorepositories must rely on a continuous supply of LN2 to ensure that samples stay fully frozen in order to preserve their integrity and usability. Liquid nitrogen is typically supplied through liquid nitrogen generators or bulk tanks located outside the facility, or from cryogenic cylinders or Dewar vessels located inside near the freezers.

Liquid Nitrogen Safety - Oxygen Monitors Can Reduce Risk

Cryopreservation ensures that the samples remain viable for future use. However, since LN2 is an oxygen-depleting gas that is both odorless and colorless, absent appropriate monitoring, biorepository personnel would be unable to detect a liquid nitrogen leak if one were to occur in a gas cylinder or supply line. When there is not enough oxygen in the air, persons working in the area can become disoriented, lose consciousness, or even suffocate from lack of oxygen. Additionally, a liquid nitrogen leak could lead to the loss of its super-cooling properties, causing the temperature to rise inside the freezer, possibly causing catastrophic damage to the biological samples.

As such, best practice calls for oxygen deficiency monitors to be installed anywhere there is a risk of nitrogen gas leaks. The National Institutes of Health’s Design Requirements Manual stipulates that, to warn of oxygen depletion, oxygen monitoring equipment is to be provided in freezer rooms and other rooms where cryogenic fluids (including liquid nitrogen) are supplied or stored.

PureAire Monitors

PureAire Monitoring Systems’ Oxygen Deficiency Monitors continuously track levels of oxygen and will detect liquid nitrogen leaks before freezer failure jeopardizes either the integrity of stored samples or employee health. Built with zirconium oxide sensor cells to ensure longevity, PureAire’s O2 Monitors can last, trouble-free, for over 10 years under normal operating conditions.  In the event of an LN2 gas leak, and a decrease in oxygen to an unsafe level, our Monitor will set off an alarm, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting employees to evacuate the affected area.

The Oxygen Monitors should be placed wherever liquid nitrogen is stored, and in all rooms and areas where nitrogen is used.

PureAire Oxygen Monitors measure oxygen 24/7, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required.

Each PureAire O2 Monitor has an easy to read screen, which displays current oxygen levels, for at-a-glance readings by biorepository personnel, who derive peace of mind from the Monitor’s presence and reliability.

Safe Use of Liquid Nitrogen in Food Processing Plants

 

In December 2020,  two employees working at a Vernon, California food processing plant lost consciousness and died following an apparent liquid nitrogen leak. On January 28, 2021, there were several fatalities, and many other employees became sick, after being exposed to nitrogen gas when a liquid nitrogen line ruptured at a food processing plant in Gainesville, Georgia.According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), a total of fourteen workers died from asphyxiation linked to nitrogen gas in twelve separate workplace accidents recorded between 2012 and 2020, and 2021 is already off to a sad start.  Tragically, these accidents illustrate the dangers of working with liquid nitrogen.

Importance of Liquid Nitrogen in Food Processing

Liquid nitrogen (LN2) is used in food processing in a number of applications, including grinding, mixing, coating, freezing, and packaging foods. Food processors may use liquid nitrogen in the production of a variety of foods, such as meat, poultry, seafood, fruits, vegetables, baked goods, and prepackaged meals. The very low temperature of LN2 is used to flash-freeze foods to help prevent microbial growth that can lead to food spoilage, and to maintain the foods’ original freshness, flavor, and textures.

Oxygen Monitors Can Reduce the Risk of Liquid Nitrogen Accidents

While the use of liquid nitrogen is important in food processing, it is not without risk. When liquid nitrogen is exposed to the air (which happens when leaks occur), it will evaporate, changing from a liquid to an oxygen-depleting gas. Oxygen deprivation can put employees in real danger if there are leaks from pressurized LN2 freezer lines, exhaust systems, or on-site storage containers. In the event of a liquid nitrogen leak, food processing workers could become disoriented, lose consciousness, or even suffocate from breathing oxygen-deficient air. Since LN2 is both odorless and colorless, workers would, in the absence of appropriate monitoring, have no way of knowing that there has been a liquid nitrogen leak.

However, by utilizing a top-quality oxygen deficiency monitor, food plant personnel can safely track oxygen levels and detect leaks before workers’ health is jeopardized.Best practice calls for oxygen deficiency monitors to be installed anywhere there is a risk of liquid nitrogen gas leaks. The monitor should be placed wherever liquid nitrogen is stored, and in all areas where liquid nitrogen is used. The monitoring equipment should include visual and audible alarms that would be activated in the event of liquid nitrogen leaks and a decrease in oxygen levels.

PureAire Monitors

PureAire Monitoring Systems’ line of oxygen deficiency monitors, including a water-resistant unit for facilities requiring daily wash-downs, offers thorough air monitoring, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required. In the event of a liquid nitrogen leak, and a decrease in oxygen to an unsafe level, PureAire’s oxygen deficiency monitor will set off an alarm, complete with horns and flashing lights, alerting personnel to evacuate the area. PureAire oxygen deficiency monitors are ideally suited for use in food processing facilities because the monitors can withstand temperatures as low as -40 Celsius. Each PureAire O2 monitor has an easy to read screen, which displays current oxygen levels, for at-a-glance reading by food processing employees, who derive peace of mind from the monitor’s presence and reliable performance.

Consumers Have No Beef Eating Plant-Based Meats

Overview
How about meat without involving animals? Move over, veggie burgers; food companies such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, among others, have created plant-based meats that smell, taste, and look (imagine a thick, juicy hamburger) like the real thing. Unlike traditional veggie burgers, made from soy and bean paste, which have been marketed primarily to vegetarians, these companies are wooing and winning over a new group of customer-so-called “flexitarians”- consumers who do eat (or, at least, desire the taste and texture of) meat but, for health or sustainability reasons, want to reduce their meat consumption. According to Barclays Investment Bank, roughly one-third of Americans, or 100 million people, follow a flexitarian diet and that number is expected to rise.

Plant-Based Burgers
Impossible Foods, which makes the Impossible Burger, and Beyond Meat, the company responsible for the Beyond Burger, are perhaps the most well-known producers of meats whose ingredients are derived from plants. Although their ingredients and manufacturing processes are not identical, both companies seek to replicate the essential qualities of a hamburger derived from cows: texture (Impossible and Beyond both utilize various plant proteins); fat/marbling (both companies use coconut oil, as well as other cooking oils); coloring (Impossible relies on soy leghemoglobin, or “heme”, while Beyond uses beet and apple extracts); and flavor (both use natural flavors, and the “heme” that Impossible uses for color also enhances the flavor profile of its products.

Growing Availability and Popularity of Plant-Based Meats
For an industry that barely existed five years ago, the plant-based meat sector is experiencing spectacular growth, and over 50,000 grocery stores and restaurants, including Safeway, Whole Foods, Burger King, Subway, White Castle, KFC, and Carl’s Jr., now carry products from Beyond Meat or Impossible Foods.

And burgers are not the only choice when it comes to plant-based meats. Other options include chicken, pork, and sausages. In August of 2019, after a successful trial run in New York City, Dunkin’ Donuts announced it was rolling out a breakfast sandwich made with Beyond Meat sausages in 9,000 of its stores. Likewise, after selling out of the new plant-based Beyond Fried Chicken in Atlanta, KFC is introducing the product at other locations throughout the South.

According to the Good Food Institute, the value of the U.S. plant-based meat market was $801 Million for the year ending April 2019. Furthermore, investment firm UBS projects growth of plant-based protein and meat alternatives to increase from $4.6 billion in 2018 to $85 billion in 2030.

Gas Usage in Facilities Producing Plant-Based Meats
Food safety compliance is critically important in the food industry and, to continue to grow their sales and increase market acceptance, producers must ensure that their plant-based meats are as safe to consume as non-plant-based meats. Safety requirements dictate that plant-based hamburger, sausage, chicken, and other products be rapidly chilled and/or frozen during the production process and before they can be shipped to restaurant or grocery outlets. As such, modern freezing technology, including the use of tunnel freezers, is essential to the ongoing success of the plant-based meat industry.

Tunnel freezers work by rapidly freezing foods using cryogenic gases, such as liquid nitrogen (LN2) or carbon dioxide (CO2). The food items are placed on a conveyor belt, which carries them into the freezer, where an injection system (utilizing either liquid nitrogen or carbon dioxide), together with fans circulating the gas-chilled air, ensures that all food products are quickly and evenly frozen.

Oxygen Monitors Can Improve Safety in Plant-Based Food Manufacturing

While the use of liquid nitrogen and/or carbon dioxide is important in the production of plant-based meats, it is not without risk. LN2 and CO2 are both oxygen depleting gases, and oxygen deprivation could put employees in real danger if there are gas leaks from freezer supply lines or exhaust systems, or from on-site gas storage containers. In the event of a leak, plant personnel could become disoriented, lose consciousness, or even suffocate from breathing oxygen-deficient air. Since LN2 and CO2 are both colorless and odorless, workers would, in the absence of appropriate monitoring, have no way of knowing that there has in fact been a leak. By utilizing a top-quality oxygen monitor, safety and production personnel can track oxygen levels and detect leaks before workers’ health is jeopardized.

PureAire Water-Resistant Dual O2/CO2 Monitors
PureAire Monitoring Systems’ water-resistant dual oxygen/carbon dioxide monitors offer thorough air monitoring, with no time-consuming maintenance or calibration required. A screen displays current oxygen and carbon dioxide levels, for at-a-glance reading by employees, who derive peace of mind from the monitor’s presence and reliable performance. In the event of a nitrogen or carbon dioxide leak, and a decrease in oxygen to an unsafe level, the monitor will set off an alarm, complete with horns and lights, alerting personnel to evacuate the area.

PureAire’s dual oxygen/carbon dioxide monitor is housed in an IP67 water resistant enclosure that will keep the electronics dry during wash-downs, and the monitor will remain accurate at extremely low temperatures. That makes it ideally suited for environments, such as plant-based food processing facilitiesthat use liquid nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Built with zirconium oxide sensor cells and non-dispersive infrared sensor (NDIR) cells to ensure longevity, PureAire’s water-resistant dual O2/CO2 monitors can last, trouble-free, for over 10 years under normal operating conditions.

Storing Liquid Nitrogen in Laboratories: Which Safety Precautions and Sensors Will Protect your Employees?

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Liquid nitrogen is frequently used in scientific research, chemistry classes, and even culinary arts nowadays. The substance is safe when properly stored, and as long as everyone follows safety protocols while handling the liquid nitrogen. As part of an environmental health and safety review (EHS review), learn safety considerations regarding storing liquid nitrogen in the lab setting. 

EHS Review: Understand Liquid Nitrogen Risks

Liquid nitrogen is known for its cryogenic properties. It can freeze things incredibly quickly. This property also applies to people, so staff must take safety precautions when handling liquid nitrogen. Even seconds of exposure can damage skin and eye tissue, and may cause frostbite. 

Staff should never transport liquid nitrogen in open containers. They should never reach directly into vats of the substance. 

The main health risk with liquid nitrogen occurs when the liquid vaporizes into gas, which happens if it leaks into the atmosphere. Nitrogen expands in volume when it turns into gas, and depletes oxygen from the air. The gas has no odor or color, so there is no way staff can tell a leak has occurred without an alarm system. If a nitrogen leak occurs, oxygen levels will fall below safe thresholds. This causes severe cognitive and respiratory problems, as well as death by asphyxiation. 

Liquid nitrogen, like other cryogenic liquids, needs a pressure-relief valve during storage. Without such a valve, internal pressure could cause the storage tank to explode. Liquid nitrogen should be stored in a room that has proper ventilation as a precaution around leaks. If a leak occurs, the ventilation system can help shunt gases outdoors, protecting the health of workers. 

How to Protect Your Employees' Environmental Health and Safety With an Oxygen Monitor 

Facilities must install, calibrate, and maintain oxygen sensors to comply with safety policies regarding the storage of liquid nitrogen in the lab setting. These units act as a secondary precaution against the dangers of a nitrogen leak. An oxygen deficiency monitor or O2 sensor measures the levels of oxygen in the environment at all times. These devices provide labs with a cost-effective and reliable way to make sure there are no leaks in nitrogen storage areas. 

For safety precautions, install one oxygen deficiency monitor anywhere liquid nitrogen is stored, handled, or used. These monitors mount to the wall quickly and provide continuous sampling of oxygen levels. As long as there is no leak, and the room contains enough oxygen, the monitors stay silent. If nitrogen leaked it would cause a decline in oxygen levels, eventually triggering an alarm and flashing light. The oxygen monitor would provide enough time for anyone working in the area to vacate the premises and avoid being harmed or killed. 

While there are several styles of O2 sensor on the market, those from PureAire are preferred for their high quality and cost efficiency. PureAire's O2 sensors feature zirconium, which lasts for 10+ years on average with no maintenance and no calibration. Once the monitor in installed, there's nothing more that needs to be done. Since PureAire's oxygen monitors are reliable once installed, and require less maintenance than the competition, they make it easier and cheaper for labs to protect worker safety. Learn more about PureAire's products by visiting www.pureairemonitoring.com.