The class 1 ISO cleanroom standard represents the epitome of cleanliness, with less than 10 external particles per cubic meter. With clean being in the name, is there anything cleaner than a cleanroom?
Cleanrooms maintain a controlled environment to ensure precision in environments like hospitals and research labs where even the smallest dust particle can have significant consequences, interfering with delicate procedures and compromising research.
At Dycem, we see cleanliness as an important pillar in various industries and understanding this level of cleanliness helps us appreciate the effort and technology required to maintain these environments. We’ll now explore places where cleanliness is essential worldwide.
The Cleanest Places in the World
With rapid developments in science and technology, the public doesn’t have access to knowledge of the actual cleanest place in the world. Based on our expertise and experience in contamination control, we’ve taken an educated guess on the cleanest places in the world.
For our scientist friends, this is not in order of cleanest to dirtiest!
NASA’s Spacecraft Systems Development and Integration Facility (SSDIF)
At NASA Goddard’s Building 29, the SSDIF is run by Yingrui Z. “Zao” Huang. In an article, Zao talks about the incredible engineering developed to run one of the largest clean rooms in the world and, in a twist of good humour, refers to cleanroom gown suits as ‘bunny suits’.
This facility plays an essential role in developing spacecraft, where maintaining an ultra-clean environment is necessary, as the tiniest dust speck could jeopardise a spacecraft’s integrity, leading to potential malfunctions in space.
Fraunhofer Institute’s Ultra-Clean Room
Situated in Stuttgart, Germany, the Fraunhofer Institute’s ultra-clean room takes cleanliness to an extraordinary level. The air quality surpasses the ISO 1 standard, containing less than one particle per cubic meter. This extraordinary environment is essential for the integrity of equipment used in various advanced technological fields.
Intel’s FAB D1X Facility
Intel’s FAB D1X (not to be confused with Elon Musk’s son!) in Hillsboro, Oregon, is impressive for its size, covering over four football fields and containing the world’s cleanest conference room as if conference rooms weren’t stressful enough!
This facility is at the forefront of microchip technology, where cleanliness is essential for developing advanced chips, as even a single contaminant particle can disrupt the chip manufacturing process.
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s most powerful particle accelerator, operates under conditions that replicate the vacuum of space.
The LHC performs experiments requiring an environment free from any external particle interference. This is achieved by creating a vacuum that is incredibly high, similar to the emptiness found in space between planets, making it one of the cleanest places on Earth.
Honorary Mention: The World’s Cleanest Railway
You weren’t expecting to see mention of the world’s cleanest railway, were you?
A unique entry in our list is the world’s cleanest railway, developed in Germany. A special project with VÊPRES and its partners POMA and CEA LETI, this railway is a moving cleanroom, ensuring the safe and uncontaminated transfer of sensitive materials. This development marks a significant growth in integrating cleanliness into everyday utility, setting a precedent for future innovations in clean technology.
You can check it out here:
Following Cleanroom Best Practices
I started my career having to gown into operating rooms, then I graduated to gowning into cleanrooms. Believe it or not, cleanrooms have more things you can’t touch! If it’s your first time or your hundredth, knowing how to gown efficiently and correctly is crucial. If you need a reminder, here’s how to scrub in before your next cleanroom visit:
From aerospace to electronics manufacturing, these environments inspire Dycem’s dedication to contamination control. Contact our team today to learn more about our products and how we can help support you with our contamination control solutions.
