Case Study: Dust In Air Testing In A Downflow Booth

The report on the pages that follow describe the procedure and results for testing dust in air in a downflow booth. A downflow booth is used in the pharmaceutical industry to safeguard operators against harmful dusts generated during many manual powder handling operations. Clean air from the ceiling plenum is distributed evenly across the entire work area pushing any breathable dust generated downward and away from the operators breathing zone.

As the dust moves down to a low level, the high velocity exhaust grilles direct the dust into filters. The onboard filtration system comprising of a minimum of fine dust filters and HEPA filters removes the dust before returning clean air into the ceiling plenum. A small amount of air is exhausted after the filters thereby creating a slight negative environment. Inward air movement into the Booth at a low level ensures containment.