Baxa Corp., Englewood, Colo., baxa.com recently cut the ribbon on its $750,000 cleanroom teaching lab. The company says it built the training facility to guide those who work in cleanrooms in use of USP-797 Regulation for the Compounding of Sterile Preparations, cleanroom procedures and frequently encountered government guidelines encountered in hospitals.

The facility, called Star Center, boasts of seven laminar-flow hoods from different manufacturers. Glass in the ceiling lets students see filter locations and read the differential pressure meters that tell whether or not a filter is working. Walls have more glass than most clean rooms so students can observe the procedures of others. Another room instructs people on the proper way to gown-up. Smoke generators will let the class simulate trouble in the lab and black light on fluorescent powders will simulate working with nuclear isotopes. One lab goal is to help students generate best and worst practices for working in cleanrooms. The first class started in September.