Ninewells Hospital chooses Tiger for Air Quality in Tissue Laboratories

Ninewells hospital is using an ION Science Tiger to adhere to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFEA) regulations for air quality in tissue laboratories and to ensure optimum culture conditions for embryos.

Client name

NHS Ninewells Hospital Dundee

Product

Tiger portable VOC detector

Industry/Applications

Pharmaceutical and Medical

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Ninewells is an NHS Teaching Hospital where they provide treatment on both an NHS and a self-funded basis. Assisted conception treatment has been carried out since the early 1980s when John Mills and Geoff James established the Unit and developed it into one of the largest centers in Scotland. The first baby born from IVF treatment in Scotland was born in 1984.

Ninewells Hospital is one of the oldest IVF facilities in the UK. It performs numerous investigations to ascertain why couples are not getting pregnant naturally and try to overcome fertility issues to achieve a pregnancy. Every year it has an average of 400 cycles of IVF and ICSI, and a further 250 cycles utilizing previously frozen embryos.

The Assisted Conception Unit at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee has purchased an ION Science Tiger handheld volatile organic compound (VOC) detector in adherence to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFEA) regulations for air quality in tissue laboratories and to ensure optimum culture conditions for embryos. This follows an independent external review that recommended the facility upgrade to a more sensitive photoionization detector (PID) that measured VOC levels in parts per billion (ppb).

With even low levels of VOCs potentially affecting embryo development, the Ninewells Hospital’s Assisted Conception Unit regularly monitors VOCs in its laboratories to minimize contaminants, maintain the best possible conditions and help ensure successful IVF outcomes.

Philip Milne, Clinical Embryologist at Ninewells Hospitals Assisted Conception Unit:

” The aim of the HFEA regulation is to implement standards of air quality in laboratories where tissues are prepared for use in humans, including assisted conception facilities. Part of this is measuring and maintaining the air found in tissue laboratories with particle and microbial counts being done on a regular basis.

Regular monitoring of our laboratory’s air quality with the ION Science Tiger has shown very low levels of VOCs. With major building work taking place outside the air intakes from our laboratory, the use of the instrument is even more critical to maintaining those levels.

We have been very pleased with the ION Science Tiger to date and would not hesitate to recommend it to other facilities.”

Assisted Conception Unit at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee

”Regular monitoring of our laboratory’s air quality with the ION Science Tiger has shown very low levels of VOCs. With major building work taking place outside the air intakes from our laboratory, the use of the instrument is even more critical to maintaining those levels.
Philip Milne, Clinical EmbryologistNinewells Hospitals Assisted Conception Unit

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Comparative specifications
Sensor Variant	MiniPID 2 PPM WR VOC Sensor	MiniPID 2 PPM VOC Sensor	MiniPID 2 PPB WR VOC Sensor	MiniPID 2 PPB VOC Sensor	MiniPID 2 HS VOC Sensor	MiniPID 2 10.0 eV VOC Sensor	MiniPID 2 11.7 eV VOC Sensor	MiniPID 2 PPB XF Sensor
Electrode Stack Colour	Blue	Blue	White	White	Red	White + Gold Spot	White	White + Filter
Minimum Detection Limit	500 ppb	100 ppb	20 ppb	1 ppb	0.5 ppb	5 ppb	100 ppb	1 ppb
Range	0 to >10,000 ppm	0 to 4000 ppm	0 to >200 ppm	0 to >40 ppm	0 to >3 ppm	0 to >100 ppm	0 to >100 ppm	>40 ppm
Response Time T90 (s)	<3	<3	<8	<8	<12	<8	<8	<12s
Sensitivity	>0.4 mV/ppm @ 100ppm	>0.65 mV/ppm @ 100 ppm	>5 mV/ppm	>30 mV/ppm	>600 mV/ppm	>15 mV/ppm	>1 mV/ppm	>30 mV/ppm
Lamp Energy	10.6 eV	10.6 eV	10.6 eV	10.6 eV	10.6 eV	10.0 eV	11.7 eV	10.6eV
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