Sector · Pharmacies and laboratories

Product stored under air conditioning: how the ducts of a pharmacy or a laboratory are reviewed

In a pharmacy or a laboratory, air conditioning covers the counter, the stockroom and, sometimes, controlled areas.

By Limpieza de Ductos PanamáReviewed October 21, 20263 min readShare

Short answer

Duct cleaning in a pharmacy or laboratory is the camera inspection and cleaning of the counter and storage room ducts. Controlled areas are handled only with the agreement and protocol of the person in charge. No promises are made about the condition of stored product.

What sets pharmacies and laboratories apart

Product under the same airThe premises store product in the same air conditioned environment. That is why the condition of the ducts is documented and the client decides.

A person in charge per areaIn laboratories, each area has a person in charge who authorizes what is opened and when.

Small premises with little slackA pharmacy cannot close for long. The work is agreed for hours with less activity.

Facts that help decide in pharmacies and laboratories

In Panama: Executive Decree 197 of 2009 from the Ministry of Health recognizes Panama as a very humid tropical country and adopts climate zone IVb for medicine stability studies, which uses 30 °C with a 2 °C tolerance and 75% relative humidity with a 5% tolerance. These are the conditions of those studies and not a storage limit for pharmacies. (MINSA, Executive Decree 197 of 2009)
Technical fact: The WHO model guidance for storing temperature-sensitive products asks, in temperature-controlled rooms, for sensors accurate to 0.5 °C, at least six readings per hour per sensor, manual checks twice a day, and for HVAC and air handling units to have backup power where possible. It also asks for humidity control for products labelled to be stored in a dry place. Local rules prevail. (WHO, TRS 961, Annex 9)

Types of place within pharmacies and laboratories

Type of place	What changes in the work plan
Pharmacies	The duct over the storage areas and the counter
Hospital pharmacies	It is confirmed who authorizes access
Clinical laboratories	The person in charge agrees which areas are opened
Pharmaceutical laboratories	Coordinated with the client’s technical and quality areas
Academic laboratories	Which ducts belong to the building and which to the laboratory
Blood banks	Only with the person in charge of the area and their protocol

How the work is organized in pharmacies and laboratories

Agree with the person in charge. It is defined which areas can be opened and which are left out because of protocol.
Inspect what is authorized. The camera runs through the ducts of the counter, the stockroom and the agreed areas.
Hand over the record. A photo report with the list of areas that were not touched.

An example of what the report brings

An illustrative example of a pharmacy report: one sheet for the counter and another for the storage room, with photos of the returns, and a list of areas not touched because of protocol, with no statement about the stored product.

What you are left with at the end

A plan agreed with the person in charge of each area
Photographs of the inside of the authorized ducts
The list of areas left out because of protocol
No statement about the stored product

Areas where pharmacies and laboratories are served

Don Bosco See all areas

Reference sources

EPA: Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned? (guide written for homes)
EPA: Building Air Quality, a Guide for Building Owners and Facility Managers (guide for building managers)
CDC: Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities (guide for health care facilities)
Technical references of this site, with all 45 sources

On this site

All sectorsWhat changes in each type of place
Camera inspectionThe real condition before deciding
Service areasWhere work is done

Climatiza and Radar Panamá

Commercial, industrial and residential HVAC services (in Spanish)Climatiza
Refrigeration and air conditioning equipment monitoring (in Spanish)Climatiza
Air duct cleaning in Panama: when and how to checkRadar Panamá
Air conditioning electricity use of a businessRadar Panamá

Frequently asked questions

Is the condition of the stored product guaranteed?

No. The condition of the ducts is documented and the client decides what to do about its product and premises.

Can work be done in controlled areas?

Only with authorization from the person in charge of the area and under their protocol. It is confirmed before the visit.

Does the pharmacy have to close?

A lower-activity time is agreed and, if needed, the work is done by zones of the premises.

What about an academic laboratory?

What belongs to the building is separated from what belongs to the laboratory, and the person in charge’s rules are followed.

How often does it make sense to check the ducts in pharmacies and laboratories?

There is no fixed frequency. It makes sense to look when there are odors or moisture near the product, and it is agreed with the person in charge of each area.

What does the report include for pharmacies and laboratories?

It brings photographs of the inside of the ducts. It includes the list of areas not touched because of protocol, with no statements about the product.

Keep exploring

All sectorsThe 31 sectors and 119 types of place.Open →Hospitals and clinicsIn a health care center, the first thing is to know which system serves each area and who authorizes entry.Open →Stores and supermarketsA store receives people and goods all day, and its air conditioning works against doors that keep opening.Open →

Related toolDuct inspection plannerEstimate the level of attention your system needs based on use and warning signs.Open planner →

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Do you want to know what your place needs?

Tell us what type of place it is and which area it is in. A camera inspection shows the inside of the ducts before anything is decided.