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Air Quality for Embryo Culture

By Esco Medical, 07 May, 2015

Air cleanliness is classified according to the number and size of particles within a sample of air, measured in particles per cubic foot or cubic meter of air. The European Union Tissues and Cells Directive has now made a requirement for IVF laboratories to ensure that certain air quality standards are met. Esco Medical IVF workstation, Fertilisafe or biosafety cabinet which embryologist work with gametes or embryos meet an air quality of the highest standard.


High efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters remove particles smaller than 0.3 µm. Filters to remove volatile organic compounds (VOC – large group of carbon-based chemicals that easily evaporate at room temperature), which could potentially jeopardize embryo culture procedure. It has been known that the air quality in IVF laboratory can have higher levels of VOCs than outdoor environment air. The impact of VOC on embryo culture will significantly affect on embryo cleavage rate, embryo development and blastocyst formation rate.


Examples of VOCs:


  • Acetone
  • Benzene
  • Etyhleneglycol
  • Formaldehyde
  • Methylene chloride
  • Perchloroethylene
  • Toluene
  • Xylene

Source of VOCs:


  • Carpets and adhesive
  • Paints
  • Composite wood products
  • Air fresheners
  • Air cleaner that produce ozone
  • Cleaning and disinfecting chemicals
  • Cosmetics
  • Fuel oil, gasoline
  • Newspaper
  • Photocopiers
  • Smoking

MIRI® TL features several protection for air quality:


  • Inline filters used outside the incubator ensure that gas from the cylinder tank are delivered into the system free from contaminants
  • HEPA filter with efficiency of 99.99% at 0.3 microns
  • VOC filter to remove any compounds that are harmful to embryo development
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