Specialist Scientific Facilities - Controlled Atmosphere Facility

This facility is used to generate known concentrations of volatile substances in a controlled environment and to study their uptake and effects in human volunteers. All studies are carried out under appropriate medical supervision and are subject to Ethics Committee approval.

Features
• 2.4m x 1.9m x 2m space.
• Air flow variable from 5 to >40 changes per hour (+/- 5%).
• Temperature controlled from 14 to 300C (+/- 0.50C).
• Relative Humidity 30 to 70% (+/- 5%).
• Filtering of extracted air.
• Flexible internal space allowing studies involving, for example, light physical exercise or cognitive function tests.

The facility is complemented by a wide range of other in-house expertise in:

• Neurobehavioural and psychological testing.
• Physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling.
• In-vitro metabolism and percutaneous absorption.
• Full analytical capabilities for blood, urine, breath and saliva samples

.Applications
• Investigating objective measures of the irritancy of volatile substances.
• Studying the neurobehavioural effects of volatile substances.
• Studying the absorption of vapours through skin.
• Assessing the effectiveness of protective clothing against vapours.
• Studying uptake rates, metabolism and excretion patterns of volatile substances.

This facility is available to public and private sector customers from the UK and overseas and is complemented by the analytical and interpretative skills of HSL's experienced scientific and technical staff.

  Case Study

Further Details
Contact our Business Development Group by telephone (+44) 01298 218218, fax (+44) 01298 218822 or email hslinfo@hsl.gov.uk.

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