RE: Flow Cytometry Facility Room Lighting

Don't forget the significant issue of mercury disposal, as all
fluorescent bulbs (to my knowledge) have measurable amounts of mercury.

Andrew Beernink
Senior Applications Specialist
Dako Colorado
(858) 353-7007
(858) 435-1137 efax 

-----Original Message-----
From: J. Paul Robinson [mailto:jpr@flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu] 
Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 6:37 PM
To: cyto-inbox
Subject: Re: Flow Cytometry Facility Room Lighting

We built a fairly large new facility here at Purdue a year or two ago in
the Bindley Bioscience Center. I went thought the exact same issue as
you did. I requested incandescent lights with dimmers because the
ability to lower light levels and remove fluorescent lights is really
important. We also installed ceiling to floor black curtains in many
places around the lab.

Dozens of reasons were provided for not putting in what I requested
regarding incandescent lights:
1. we dont do that any more
2. Fluorescent lights are cheaper
3. Fluorescent lights are a university requirement etc etc ad infinitum

Eventually, I got incandescents in one of two labs, but they did not put
them in the other. Thus unbelievably we have a 3000 sq foot lab, that
only has fluorescent lighting. For a significant portion of the day, all
the lights are turned off. We purchased a dozen or more standard lamps. 
Be basically have to ignor basic safety rules by having a lot of leads
lying around the lab, to run our incandescent lights.

Frankly, most university planners and architects are ignorant of the
needs of labs. They don't listen to what we need. In the end, we solve
the problem after they leave.

My suggestion is to go to your OSHA representative and tell them its a
safety/functional issue. The architects will listen! Have them put
movement sensors faucets in as well - then you dont have to contaminate
the handles !!

By the way, I did not realize how stupid some architects are. When they
installed the incandescent lights in one lab, (around 3000 sq ft) they
put all the lights on the same switch and dimmer! Win some, lose some! 
There is no chance that I can get them to change this  - they quoted me
about $10,000 to change the switching! Instead the architect should have
been fired....!! Maybe you have our architect....


regards

paul robinson
Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories



Martin Poirier wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> I am currently commenting on plans for a new flow cytometry facility, 
> and I requested incandescent lighting with dimmer, in order to have 
> more control on lighting and avoid potential issues with some of the 
> dyes we are working with (PerCP for instance). The architect and the 
> lighting engineer are really trying to push back and install only 
> fluorescent light, saying that nobody uses incandescent lights anymore
etc...
> Now, I've always been taught that incandescent light bas preferable 
> when working with fluorescent dyes, since the light from incandescent 
> bulbs is usually more toward the red wavelengths as opposed to 
> fluorescent tubes which emit more blue light - which we want to avoid 
> due to issues like photo bleaching, etc...
> 
> The lighting engineer do not seem to be buying this argument, 
> presumably because he do not understand what flow cytometry is, but 
> anyway, I would like to take this opportunity of asking all of you if 
> there are some references, or your expert opinion, which could add 
> some substance to my argument. Conversely, if some of you have been 
> working under full fluorescent lighting for some time and did not 
> experience any issue, I would like to hear about it as well. Thanks in
advance.
> 
> 
> Martin Poirier
> Senior Scientist, Immunology
> 
> 


--
J. Paul Robinson
SVM Professor of Cytomics
Professor of Immunopharmacology & Biomedical Engineering Director,
Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories President, International
Society for Analytical Cytology

Purdue University Cytometry Laboratories Bindley Bioscience Center
1203 West State Street
Discovery Park, Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2057
Ph (765) 494 0757; Fax (765) 494 0517
email: jpr@flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu
www.cyto.purdue.edu

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