Critically clean

General Article

Sterile beakers, pipettes and flasks: Research rides on the seemingly invisible work of Glassware Services

Glassware technicians Vance McDill, left, and Luis Flores place foil over the top of each glassware item before placing it in an oven or autoclave for sterilization in the Glassware Services facility. Photo by Todd McNaught

Every occupation involves at least one simple — yet essential — tool. Carpenters count on their hammers. Mechanics rely on their wrenches. Bakers bank on their pans.

Laboratory scientists, despite the greater complexity of their work, are no different. What do they depend on? Clean and sterile glassware. Lots and lots of it.

At Fred Hutchinson, it's up to the Glassware Services team to provide scientists from 140 labs with a steady supply of spotless beakers, pipettes, flasks and other glass or plastic items. It's a vital — if often invisible — chore.

"We're kind of like elves who come out and collect all the dirty glassware and it magically reappears the next morning," said Karl Ross, Glassware Services supervisor. "I'm sure there are a lot of people who don't know where Glassware Services is or what we do. All they know is they want their glassware to come back clean. But that's OK. That's all they need to know."

An essential service

Glassware Services is part of Shared Resources. Located in the basement of the Weintraub Building near the loading dock, Glassware Services has established a set of standard operating procedures intended to ensure the collection, processing and return of glassware goes like clockwork. "We want the scientists to focus on their research and not worry about their glassware," said John Digel, former Glassware Services manager and current manager of Specimen Processing.

Mundane as the job may sound, laboratory research would grind to a halt without the work of Glassware Services. Either that or labs would have to rely on disposable glassware — a costly option — or clean their glassware themselves.

Dr. Robert Eisenman, who runs a Basic Sciences lab, compares Glassware Services to the tires on a car. "They are essential for function, but you don't think about it much unless something goes wrong," he said. "It's a tribute to the hard work and dedication of the people in Glassware Services that almost nothing ever goes really wrong. We absolutely depend on them for a steady turnover of clean materials, without which we could not do our experiments, and they always deliver."

2 million pipettes washed ...

The toughest part of the job is dealing with the sheer volume of glassware that needs to be washed, sterilized and returned to the correct lab every day, Ross said. While Ross can't quote the overall number of items processed every year, he does know his team handles 2 million pipettes per year alone. Besides washing and sterilizing glassware, Glassware Services also disposes of biohazardous waste and coordinates operation of media services at the center.

The first member of the Glassware Services team arrives each day at 6 a.m. to unload the autoclaves and drying machines that are used to sterilize glassware after washing. Over the next two hours, the rest of the team fans out across the campus to deliver loads of clean glassware and pick up carts full of dirty glassware parked outside each lab's doorway. On any given day, they'll retrieve and return glassware to more than 90 labs.

... and baked

It's important, noted Ross, that each lab rinse and label its glassware before placing items on carts for pickup. Unlabeled glassware is difficult to return to the correct lab. Rinsing is important because some labs use mediums that if left to dry can adhere to glassware even after washing. Initially clear and hard to detect, the mediums turn black in the heat of sterilization, requiring the glassware to undergo additional soaking and delaying its return. Glassware Services recently acquired seven new washers. The industrial-strength machines feature multiple rinsing and washing cycles and are equipped with conductivity sensors. The sensors analyze the water to ensure that the proper amount of detergent is added during the wash cycle and that the glassware is thoroughly rinsed during the rinse cycle.

Once the glassware is washed and rinsed, it is sterilized. Glass items are baked at 190 degrees Celsius in one of six dry heat sterilizers. Since plastic would melt at the temperature, plastic items are steam sterilized in one of five steam autoclaves at 120 degrees Celsius.

Seal of proof

Each item is sealed prior to sterilization to keep it sterile until put into use. To ensure glass items are properly sterilized, a substance known as Templaq is applied to the outside of the seal. Formulated to act as a temperature indicator, the Templaq changes from opaque to clear once it reaches 190 degrees C, proving the item has been sterilized. Similarly, an indicator tape that turns a striped color when exposed to 120 degree C heat is applied to plastic items.

As a further precaution, Glassware Services conducts thorough quarterly tests of the dryers and autoclaves.

The work of the Glassware Services team may seem routine, but Ross and his staff realize how much is riding on their performance. "The work is very important because without clean glassware, our scientists can't do their job," he said. "I tell my people you never know whether what they're working on might someday save your life."

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