MarShield was contacted by a biopharmaceutical company located in the United States that develops targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases. The company conducts bio-assays with radioactive materials as part of its discovery program and the storage of waste materials resulting from such studies has always posed certain limitations.
The client was looking for three different custom fabricated booth/cabinets that would fit their exact needs. They did not want to use someone’s standard line of products that would only partially meet their needs.
First Unit: Lead Lined Cabinet Housing Gamma Counter
Designed and supplied by MarShield, the first unit will house a gamma counter that measures the amount of radioactivity in various biological samples. The upper portion of the cabinet houses the gamma counter which “reads” the samples while the bottom unit provides temporary shielded storage of those samples. It allows quick and easy access until the data is analyzed.
This cabinet required a sliding shelf for the storage of the Gamma Counter Shield. It included a locking top and bottom set of doors and the cabinet was mounted on casters to be mobile.
Product Construction Details: This unit was constructed from low carbon steel with ¼” steel walls encapsulating ¼” lead sheets in all walls, top, bottom, and doors (with no exposed lead). The overall size of the cabinet supplied was 80” high x 36” deep x 29” wide. This cabinet was designed to fit through an 82” high doorway. It includes shielded cabled outlets for cables coming out of the cabinet. To aid in moving the cabinet around, MarShield incorporated wrap around push handles on three sides and it was mounted on HD locking swivel steel casters. The cabinets were a painted a Light Grey Enamel Paint for easy wipe down and cleaning
Second Unit: Lead Lined Cabinet for Decay-In-Storage Protection from Waste
The second unit provides the decay-in-storage protection from the waste created as a result of these in vitro and in vivo assays. The bulk of the waste is from lab mouse cages, bedding, and consumables needed for the study.
The cabinet is large enough to hold a shelving unit allowing the waste to be stored according to decay dates. The cabinet was an open style large open face booth.
Product Construction Details: This unit was lined with ¼” lead and constructed using the same materials. This unit measured 66” wide x 29” deep x 70” high. Because this unit was butt up against the other cabinet, wrap around push handles had to be changed to front mounted handles on either side.
Third Unit: Lead Lined Cabinet Providing Housing Space for Mice
The third unit provides housing space for mice injected with the radioactive material. The mice need to have light and fresh air so a mobile “anterior barrier” is required.
This large style cupboard cabinet had two locking doors with a lead astragal incorporated into the design to prevent streaming between the two doors when closed.
Product Construction Details: This unit was also ¼” lead lined with all the same construction details. The cabinet was 65” wide x 29” deep x 78” high and includes the same casters and front pull handles on either side
The special items manufactured by MarShield will now enable the biopharmaceutical company to overcome these challenges and conduct short radioactive animal studies in a safe and secure space in a much more efficient manner.
If you have any questions on how lead lined cabinets can be designed to fit your needs, you can visit the MarShield website or contact us, and we will help find the best solution for you.