Uncategorized Archives

Sterilizing Prion-Contaminated Waste in Just 11 E-Z Steps!

Any facility regularly handling prions needs a good sterilization protocol. Reliable sources suggest the following minimum inactivation protocol for prion-exposed items: Carefully place prion-contaminated item in appropriate autoclave waste bag […]

Opt in for Safety with a Research-grade Tabletop Autoclave

We like to assume that if we haven’t heard about a food safety problem, that’s because no problem exists. Unfortunately, in the absence of rigorous testing, we simply have no […]

When Tabletop Autoclave Water Conservation Goes Too Far

“Ed!” Edna stood in the bathroom, brow furrowed. “Yes, honey?” Ed shuffled down the hall from his den. “Something’s wrong with the toilet. I keep flushing it, but the water […]

Special Sauce, Pathogens, and Tabletop Sterilizers

Chipotle screwed up. Big time. And a quality control department with two techs and a decent tabletop sterilizer could have prevented it all. Between August and December 2015, almost 500 […]

The Culture of Safety Starts With Good Training

We applaud the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) and the White House for taking initiative to close gaps in biosafety and biosecurity at infectious disease laboratories. A memorandum released October […]

Solar Autoclaves Harness the Power of the Sun

The locations may be remote, with challenging terrain and weather and no electricity, but the available tech is anything other than backwards. Researchers, students, and instructors at the Massachusetts Institute […]

Autoclaves Increase Biogas Production Threefold

Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) — or biogas — is the quiet darling of alternative energy. It’s not a pretty process, fermenting organic waste materials like plant matter and manure to […]

Advanced Autoclave Food Processing Gains Foothold with U.S. Consumers

Retort packaging — the sterile, autoclaved, highly shelf-stable sealed food pouches familiar as the modern military rations (or “MRE,” for “meal read-to-eat”) — is gaining traction in the consumer food […]

Cook Your Turkey WITH SCIENCE!

Since we first mentioned it last year, turkey autoclaving has picked up steam — although we have to admit we’re far from the first to suggest the convenience of autoclaving […]

If You Ran Your Kitchen Like a Typical Lab

The November air has a crisp bite to it and smells like snow. Inside, the house is cozy and warm as Ed and Edna get ready for family to […]

Legionella Research Can Afford No Shortcuts

Legionella has an old-fashioned ring to it, but this bacterium is causing pneumonia outbreaks (Legionnaires’ Disease and Pontiac Fever) in modern, urban areas like Brooklyn and Chicago. Spread by infected water vapor […]

Learning to Trust Your Autoclave

Dugway has been under scrutiny recently for issues regarding the handling of deadly airborne pathogens. Bernie Youngblood, founder and president of Priorclave North America, is concerned these lapses aren’t getting […]