Lab Supplies

We all know that laboratories are places equipped for testing, scientific experimentation or research. A lab can be as small as a one-person closet, all the way up to an entire building holding thousands of people In addition, labs aren't all set up to do the same thing and each will require different types of supplies.

Different Labs Require Different Lab Supplies

Basic university labs, where experiments are performed, need to purify compounds or isolate reagents (the substances used in a chemical reaction). These labs require an almost infinite number and types of glassware (beakers, pipettes, petri dishes), refrigeration facilities for storing samples, and some specialized lab equipment such as autoclaves, (a pressurized steam heated vessel designed to clean and sterilize lab equipment).

Biochemistry and chemical labs, utilize specialized laboratory supplies such as centrifuges to separate solid particles from a liquid, spectrophotometers to analyze the intensity of light passing through a liquid, aspirators for removing liquids or gases by suction or to create a partial vacuum, and water baths to ensure that reagents maintain a desired temperature.

Laboratories designed for processing specimens, such as medical testing laboratories will have specialized machinery (automated analyzers) that allow them to process many samples and perform numerous tests. Research and experimentation is not the primary purpose of these laboratories; the function of these labs is to use standardized tests to provide fast and reliable results.

Similarities in Labs

No matter what their specific purpose, all working scientific laboratories will have some similarities in their make up. For example, all will have a stock room where reagents of all types are stored and prepared for use in experiments

All labs need to be equipped with the ability to sterilize and purify their reagents to ensue that impure chemicals do not interfere with their experiments.

Since some chemical combinations or reactions can give off toxic fumes, all labs should be equipped with a working fume hood. These can be ducted exhaust hoods or ductless filter types. Whatever their style, their job is to reduce the chance of lab personnel inhaling toxic fumes from a chemical reaction.

In keeping with the necessity to handle chemicals safely and protect the people who are working with them, all labs have to be equipped with a hand washing station and an eye washing facility. Both are necessary to ensure that people handling chemicals can wash them off their bodies or rinse them from their eyes before the chemicals can cause bodily harm. Some labs are even equipped with overhead showers to quickly get hazardous chemicals off of clothes and skin.

Fire extinguishers and fire blankets are also necessary supplies in a laboratory. Accidents can happen and the scientist needs to be able to prevent the spread of fire if one does occur.

Controls on Labs

Helping ensure that laboratories produce reliable results is the shared responsibility of the federal government, state regulators and laboratory professional organizations. All laboratories that perform tests on humans or human samples (medical testing labs), must conform to the federal government's Clinical Laboratory Improvements Amendments (CLIA). A number of states have even more stringent regulations that build on the federal government's structures. Overseeing the quality of all laboratories (not just medical testing labs), are Laboratory Professional Organizations, self governing organizations which work to ensure reliable results from all types of labs.

By Murray Anderson

Lab Supplies

Related Links: