Facilities use air showers to minimize the movement of biological contaminants attached to other particles. Air showers are enclosed chambers with entry/exit systems, and they use door interlocks and timers to direct strong bursts of air that dislodge contaminants on personnel or parts.

Controlling the Environment

If you work in a clean room, you know that it is a controlled environment where products are manufactured. To control the generation of contaminants in the air caused by people, equipment, processes and facilities, personnel use an air shower before entering a clean room. The air shower's main purpose is to lower the incidence of particulates, which are small, solid objects that are deposited on objects during dry deposition. Typically, in an office building, you can find 500,000 to 1,000,000 particulates per cubic foot of air; in a clean room, no more than 100 particulates per cubic foot of air should exist.

Following Protocol and Operational Parameters

Air showers have unique parameters, starting with their modular or tunnel shape. As personnel and/or parts enter a buffer room, high-velocity HEPA- or ULPA-filtered air "scrubs" them. You need to follow proper protocol for the air shower to be effective. For instance, you must be trained on how to rotate 360 degrees with hands on your head during an air shower cycle, which is a minimum of 20 minutes.

The speed of air delivery is also a tightly controlled parameter. The minimum airflow of an air shower nozzle should be between 6,000 and 7,500 feet per minute, which is equal to 60 to 90 miles per hour. To ensure the efficiency of air shower operation, you should be careful with garment selection. For instance, synthetic fibers, such as Gore-Tex or Tyvek, are better to wear than natural fibers such as cotton or wool.

Air shower dimensions can be tailor-made to suit the size of the person or product using it. Air showers also vary in the materials used to construct them. Some of the typical materials are steel, stainless steel, aluminum and plastics. Governed by ISO and U.S. federal standards, the performance of air showers is closely monitored and must comply with ADA standards for individuals with disabilities.

Identifying Users of Air Showers

Electronics manufacturers use air showers because of the sensitive nature of constructing integrated circuits or chips. Strict sanitation is also required in the pharmaceutical industry, where the design and development of drugs and medications are prevalent. Air showers are also employed in the biotech industry, where clean rooms are used to experiment with biomolecular and cellular processes. Similarly, in the medical industry, workers take air showers to ensure that surgical procedures are kept sterile.

Air showers are beneficial for contamination control across many industries. By making the work atmosphere cleaner and safer for personnel and products, air showers form a reliable link to clean rooms. Users of air showers can help to maintain high standards of air cleanliness by following proper protocol and operation parameters.