Applied Research Associates - Bioaerosol and Applied Microbiology Laboratory

Overview

Applied Research Associates (ARA) operates a 25,000 sq. ft. facility, located at 400 W 5th Street Panama City, FL, consisting of general office and space dedicated for laboratory, bench- and pilot- R&D work. This facility also serves as the headquarters for the Engineering Science Division (ESD) and Gulf Coast Sector of ARA. The facility is located in downtown Panama City, adjacent to St. Andrews Bay with line of sight to Coastal Systems Station, Tyndall AFB, and the Gulf of Mexico. It also has a deep water port providing boat access to the Gulf of Mexico. This laboratory facility consists of a 3,350 sq. ft. high bay demo/fabrication area; a 1000 sq. ft. R&D lab with 20-ft ceilings that also serves as a bioaerosol facility; a 500 sq. ft. fully-equipped analytical lab; a 500 sq. ft. explosives laboratory; and a 500 sq. ft. BSL-2 microbiology laboratory. ARA has agreements with other agencies to allow work to be performed in BSL-3 settings, including animal aerosols. The laboratory spaces are equipped with chemical handling equipment (hoods, balances, beakers, stir plates, etc.) and other standard laboratory apparatus (hotplates, vacuum and liquid pumps, compressed gases, pH and specific-ion meters, temperature and flow gauges, sieves, temperature-controlled liquid baths, automated mixing devices, ovens, furnaces, autoclaves, deionized water system, etc.). The BSL-II microbiology laboratory contains four Type II-A2 biological safety cabinet, upright and inverted microscopes, incubators, and other associated microbiological equipment. Multiple bioaerosol chambers and particle analysis equipment are also housed at the facility. Analytical instrumentation such as Raman, UV-visible-NIR absorbance, fluorescence spectrometers, as well as gas, high pressure liquid, and ion chromatographs, colorimeters, etc., are also available.

Standards & Methodologies

Custom Bioaerosol
Custom Microbiology
ASTM 1054
AATCC 100
ASTM E894
ASTM 2720
ASTM 2721

Qualifications, Certifications, Accreditations & Licenses

BSL- II Microbiology Laboratory
BSL - I Bioaerosol Laboratory
BSL - III Microbiology, Bioaerosol, and Animal Aerosol Laboratory (academic partnership)
GLP Compliant (in progress)

Publications:
Harnish DA, BK Heimbuch, C Balzli, M Choe, AE Lumley, RE Shaffer, JD Wander. Capture of 0.1-µm Aerosol Particles Containing Viable H1N1 Influenza Virus by N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirators. Journal of Environmental and Occupational Hygiene. 2015 In press

Heimbuch BK, W Wallace, CL Balzli, ML Laning, DA Harnish, JD Wander. Bioaerosol Exposure to Personnel in a Clinical Environment Absent Patients. Journal of Environmental and Occupational Hygiene. 2015 In press

Shaffer H, D Harnish, M McDonald, R Vernon, and BK Heimbuch. Sterility Maintenance Study: Dynamic Evaluation of Sterilized Rigid Containers and Wrapped Instrument Trays to Prevent Bacterial Ingress. American Journal of Infection Control, 2015 In press