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It’s Not Just Pure Drinking Water That Saves Lives
12 May 2020
Water is used in virtually all aspects of important clinical testing and when lives are at stake, there is no margin for error. But how pure is the water in your lab?
Water, Water Everywhere...
Ever since Archimedes jumped out of his bathtub shouting ‘Eureka!’, good, accurate science has relied on water. Nowhere is this more true than in a clinical lab setting. From feeding wash stations to its use as an incubator, dilutant or interface, when it comes to lab work, water is ubiquitous and purity is key. Impure water leads to inaccurate results, and inaccurate results in a clinical setting, at best lead to costly repeat studies, and at worst can lead to dangerously inaccurate conclusions.
Can Tiny Impurities Really Be That Bad?
In short, yes, absolutely. Incubator baths can become a breeding ground for just a few bacteria, potentially resulting in comprised and inaccurate patient results. Impure water in a wash station can cause inaccurate probe calibration and patient to patient sample contamination. These are just two ‘easily done’ errors that could have serious impacts on patient treatment but there are many, many more ‘flash points’ involving water.
Lives, Time And Money
Lives, health and litigation aren’t the only cost of impurity, there is also the monetary cost. Not only do impurities lead to unreliable or inconsistent test results (incurring costly repetitions), but poor filtration can lead to high bacterial load, damaging sensitive equipment and leading to expensive (not to mention irritating) downtime for maintenance and, as we all know, time is money.
Be Sure You’re Pure
The best way to guarantee purity is to ensure your analyser receives a constant supply of CLRW (Clinical Laboratory Reagant Water) regardless of the quality of the feedwater. Endorsed by the College of American Pathologists, CLRW specification takes into account all the obstacles in the way of sure purity, from ionic impurities and particles, to bacteria, carbon and silica, specifying an absolute maximum amount for each. To put it another way, if you’re not CLRW compliant, you aren’t sure you’re pure.
Why Choose ELGA LabWater?
At ELGA LabWater we specialise in the engineering, service and support of water purification systems. Our unrivalled product design has achieved international recognition and awards but it doesn’t end at purity – we continuously innovate with invaluable user-friendly digital and ergonomic features.