Temporary laboratories are built to answer a time sensitive need: disease surveillance, environmental sampling, remote research, surge testing during an outbreak or a temporary production activity. Their biosafety programme has to be equally deliberate, even when there is no permanent building infrastructure behind it.
Portable bio-decontamination can provide a route to control suitable enclosed equipment at the location where it is used. The process should be planned as part of site readiness, not added after an incident or before demobilisation.
Plan before the site opens
Before deploying, identify the equipment that may require bio-decontamination and the events that trigger it. These can include maintenance, relocation, a change in organism or workflow, a spill, demobilisation or transfer to another site.
Then assess the site: sealing approach, power, ventilation, environmental conditions, operator competence, and consumables storage. A temporary laboratory can be safe and controlled, but only if the procedure is designed around the reality of the site.
Why a portable system can be relevant
In a remote or temporary operation, returning a biosafety cabinet or isolator to a central facility may mean long downtime, transport risk and loss of mission capacity. A portable VPHP system can bring an approved process to the equipment, where it is practical to do so.
Delox Box is designed for compact, plug-and-play bio-decontamination of suitable critical enclosed equipment. It provides integrated cycle management, configurable cycles and remote start capability. The application must still be assessed for materials, monitoring, aeration and release requirements.
Keep the scope precise
Portable VPHP is not a general substitute for cleaning, room ventilation, containment design or site emergency planning. It is most useful where the team has a defined enclosed asset, a clear contamination-control objective and a route to validate the full cycle.
This measured scope protects both the operator and the credibility of the programme.
From temporary site to repeatable programme
If operations move between sites, standardise what can be standardised: training, records, consumable controls and equipment checklist. At the same time, document which local conditions must be verified at every deployment. This balance creates a repeatable programme without assuming that every site is identical.
Read Mobile Laboratory Decontamination Without Fixed Infrastructure for the complete workflow model.
Assess your temporary-site deployment
Request a temporary-site technical assessment from Delox to discuss equipment, site conditions and a suitable validation pathway.
Evidence basis
The planning principles in this page are supported by research on hydrogen peroxide delivery, environmental control and validation in critical environments [1-3]. The publications do not remove the need to assess each temporary site and equipment configuration.
Scientific bibliography
- Henneman JR, McQuade EA, Sullivan RR, Downard J, Thackrah A, Hislop M. Analysis of range and use of a hybrid hydrogen peroxide system for biosafety level 3 and animal biosafety level 3 agriculture laboratory decontamination. *Appl Biosaf.* 2022;27(1):7-14. doi:10.1089/apb.2021.0012.
- Musa F, Nogueira R, Beiral M, Antunes F, Pires J. Nanoporous materials as carriers of hydrogen peroxide vapour: a new bio-decontamination technology. *Microporous Mesoporous Mater.* 2024;370:113056. doi:10.1016/j.micromeso.2024.113056.
- Ayub A, Cheong YK, Castro JC, Cumberlege O, Chrysanthou A. Use of hydrogen peroxide vapour for microbiological disinfection in hospital environments: a review. *Bioengineering (Basel).* 2024;11(3):205. doi:10.3390/bioengineering11030205.
Frequently asked questions
Can a temporary laboratory use portable VPHP bio-decontamination?
It can support suitable enclosed applications when site conditions, equipment configuration, operator procedures, monitoring, aeration and release controls have been assessed.
What should be checked at every new site?
Check equipment configuration, site setup, power and environmental conditions, access controls, consumables, trained personnel and any conditions that fall outside the approved process.