If a cadaver is present in a room, must the room be treated as a lab?

Question

If a cadaver is present in a room, must the room be treated as a lab?

Martzee (Mechanical)

(OP)

6 Jan 12 15:27

Hello, I am having a code issue with a project for a medical equipment manufacturer and they want a show room where they want to present and educate doctors/clients showing their equipment. Part of the process will need a cadaver present in the show room, which will be frozen, blood-free, tested and in some occasions in formaldehyde, but no laboratory work or testing will be performed. Does the pure presence of cadaver (either frozen or in formaldehyde) constitute the requirement to treat the room as laboratory, or can we treat it normally with standard HVAC (ventilation). That means mixing of return air with supply etc.
Anyone knows more about this issue? Thanks for help.

Ziggypump (Mechanical) · Answer 1 · 2012-01-09 08:54:12

Are you wanting to add this space into a system feeding other rooms? Wouldn't the chemicals (formaldehyde) make this alone a laboratory? You wouldn't want the smell to be distributed around the building because of the HVAC system. I was always under the impression that if there are chemicals, you want to treat the space special (janitors closets).

Nothing quite like an accountant doing payroll with the stench of death in the air because there's a viewing room down the hall.

Martzee (Mechanical) · Answer 2 · 2012-01-09 10:45:53

Well, that is true, but the IMC 2009 is listing the concentrations of chemicals and if you are under you do not have to treat it separately (for example janitor s closets do not have to be treated separately unless they are also used as a storage of chemicals exceeding certain concentrations. Also NFPA is listing chemicals and medical gases levels. Here we will be way under those levels. That's why I am confused. I would understand if they will work there and soak the cadaver into formaldehyde etc, but they would just bring the leg, display it, and then at the end put it back into the freezer.

Come Join Us!

Posting Guidelines

If a cadaver is present in a room, must the room be treated as a lab?