History and development of cleanrooms: An updated review

 

Cleanrooms are the key technological factor in the overall contamination control strategy of pharmaceutical and healthcare facilities. Cleanrooms are designed to protect products, personnel and equipment from being adversely affected by contaminants, through creating clean and controlled areas.

 

Cleanrooms are used in a variety of different sectors including microelectronics, semiconductor manufacture, industries undertaking micromedical work, optical applications, biotechnological applications, pharmaceutical manufacturing, certain food and beverage industries, operating theatres and other healthcare applications.

 

The development and use of cleanrooms cannot be considered without reference to these other industrial sectors.

 

This article outlines the history of cleanrooms or ‘clean rooms’ (until the 1980s ‘clean room’ as two separate words was more common, whereas from the 1980s the portmanteau word ‘cleanroom’ became generally accepted and this is the term used throughout the international cleanroom standard ISO 14644).

 

Sandle, T. (2021) History and development of cleanrooms: An updated review, Pharmig News, Issue 84, pp21-30

 

Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle, Pharmaceutical Microbiology Resources (http://www.pharmamicroresources.com/)