Wet laboratory is a type of laboratory which the testing and analyzing of data are performed in a well-designed room with the proper ventilation and appropriate arrangement of safety equipment like eyewash, shower and more.[1] The experiments that are done in the laboratory have a wide range of scope, for example, characterizing of enzymes in biology, titration in chemistry, diffraction of light in physics, etc. which may sometime involve dealing with hazardous substances.[2] Therefore, the safety of the occupants must be ensured by placing eye wash and shower in a reachable position, installing fire alarm, having fire extinguisher and blanket near the door, having vinyl floor and ceiling which is inertia, painting the wall with acrylic so that it is easy to clean.[1][3] The interior surface of the lab must be made from static element, so that it will not contaminate with the reaction and will be easily to take care of. There should also be view panels on the door to ensure that the accident or injury of crashing with each other while opening the door will not happen.[4] The researchers (the occupants) are required to know the basic laboratory techniques including the safety conducts and techniques related to the experiments that they perform.[5]
Different between wet lab and dry lab
editIn wet laboratory, it is required to handle with various types of chemical, so the room has to be carefully constructed to avoid spillage and contamination. On the other hand, in dry laboratory, the large shelf is required for placing instruments which are usually computational tools that are used to analyze data. In dry laboratory, only small amount of chemical is required, so it is called as dry, while for wet laboratory, the researchers have to deal with many chemicals.[6]
In a wide range of research, wet and dry laboratories are both required as the combined approach to come across the solutions. Dry laboratory is required to make models for explaining the situations and the predictions of what will occur if one of many factors has been changed, and these predictions will be tested in wet laboratory. The quantitative results from wet laboratory will be further used to improve the model to be more accurate and more efficient. This combined approach has been used in the development of cardio model.[7]
Preparing chemicals
editFor wet laboratory in seawater system, the water should be prepared at the time of using to minimize the amount use and the cost for maintaining the condition which may differ when in different environment.[8]
Modern design
editIn the present, most of the designs of lab focus on increasing the interactions between researchers by making labs to be more opened which is to increase space in the lab for researchers to meet and exchange the ideas to increase productivity and efficiency of experiments, and also promote the sharing of equipment to reduce the need to store separate collections of chemicals.[9] This modern design has been proposed to support the team-based work, however the closed place which is place for individuals to do their experiments is still exist for some type of experiments that require separate and isolated place such as electron microscope, tissue culture lab and more. [9] The closed part of lab is important since sometimes the noise in the open part can interfere with the work of researchers.The flexibility of the lab should also be promoted, for example, the wall and ceiling should be removable in case of expansion or contraction, the pipes, tubes and fume hoods should also be removable not build-in for expansion, reallocation and using in several aspects. The flexibility of lab ensures that the lab can be re-innovated or adjusted for any future use.[10] The sustainability of the resources is also an important concern, since people have been more aware of the reducing number of resources available, so the amount of resources and energy used in the lab has been reduced significantly to save environment, but still yield the same products. [11] As the laboratory consists of many sections like wet lab, dry lab and office areas, the wet lab part should be separated from other spaces by controlling devices or dividers since it contains many hazardous substances. [4]
References
edit- ^ a b "Laboratory: Wet | WBDG Whole Building Design Guide". www.wbdg.org. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Laboratory/Research Skills (Current Students)". Current Students (Penn State College of Ag Sciences). Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "What are the Do's and Don'ts for Wet Lab & Dry Lab Users | Formaspace". Formaspace. 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ a b Laboratory, National Research Council (US) Committee on Prudent Practices in the (2011). Laboratory Facilities. National Academies Press (US).
- ^ "5.2 General Laboratory Safety Procedures | Environmental Health and Safety". ehs.research.uiowa.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Basic Architectural Design Considerations for a Laboratory" (PDF).
- ^ Quinn, T. Alexander; Kohl, Peter (2013-03-15). "Combining wet and dry research: experience with model development for cardiac mechano-electric structure-function studies". Cardiovascular Research. 97 (4): 601–611. doi:10.1093/cvr/cvt003. ISSN 0008-6363. PMC 3583260. PMID 23334215.
- ^ "Chapter 16 Wet laboratory areas". Design and Operating Guide for Aquaculture Seawater Systems. Developments in Aquaculture and Fisheries Science. Vol. 33. 2002. pp. 211–215. doi:10.1016/s0167-9309(02)80016-3. ISBN 9780444505774.
- ^ a b "Trends in Lab Design | WBDG Whole Building Design Guide". www.wbdg.org. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
- ^ "Lab spaces - Property Design Guidelines". property.mq.edu.au. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
- ^ "Modern trends in lab design". Laboratory Design News. 2015-06-04. Retrieved 2018-02-26.