Ideal Humidity Control in Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare

The Impact of Humidity on Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare

1. Degradation of Pharmaceutical Quality

High humidity can trigger undesirable chemical reactions in pharmaceuticals, altering their structure or active ingredients. Dosage forms like tablets, capsules, or powders are particularly prone to moisture absorption, leading to issues like liquefaction, clumping, or instability. Even liquid solutions like serums or vaccines risk contamination or reduced effectiveness if humidity is not tightly controlled.

High humidity causes medicine to become damp and clumpy

2. Damage to Medical Equipment

Excess humidity can cause rust and corrosion in metal components and dampen electronic parts in medical devices. This increases the risk of equipment malfunctions and significantly affects diagnostic and treatment accuracy. Surgical, diagnostic, and testing equipment, which require absolute precision, must be stored in a strictly humidity-controlled environment to ensure performance and safety.

3. Increased Risk of Bacterial and Mold Growth

High humidity creates a conducive environment for the proliferation of bacteria and mold. In healthcare facilities, this raises the risk of cross-contamination, endangering patient health. Additionally, contaminated medical products or pharmaceuticals can directly harm users and damage the reputation of healthcare facilities or businesses.

4. Adverse Effects on Clean Room Environments

Unstable humidity can compromise the standards of clean rooms, where stringent conditions are essential to prevent cross-contamination or pollution. This is a significant issue in pharmaceutical manufacturing and medical processes requiring high purity. Poor humidity control may allow dust particles, bacteria, and mold to infiltrate the environment, reducing production efficiency and quality.

The cleanroom environment must be strictly controlled for humidity

5. Disruption to Manufacturing Processes

High humidity not only hinders but also decreases the efficiency of pharmaceutical and medical device production processes. Raw materials readily absorb moisture, resulting in clumping or instability, which poses challenges during formulation and packaging stages. Production equipment may malfunction or operate suboptimally due to high humidity, leading to product defects, increased maintenance costs, and compromised quality control.

Standard Humidity Requirements for Storing Medicines and Medical Equipment

To ensure the highest pharmaceutical quality, adhering to production standards and maintaining the quality of medical devices are essential. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the standard storage conditions for medicines and medical devices are within a humidity range of 40–75%. Under normal conditions, medicines should be stored at 75% humidity and a temperature of 15–30°C in a dry, ventilated environment. In extreme weather, the temperature should not exceed 32°C, and humidity should remain below 80%.

Certain medicines require even stricter temperature and humidity conditions:

• Keytruda (a cancer treatment drug): Cold storage at 2–8°C with humidity below 70%.
• Injections and syringes: Cold storage at 2–8°C with humidity around 45%.
• Penicillin (an antibiotic): Storage at no more than 30°C and humidity below 70%.

Temperature and humidity conditions for storing certain special medications

Additionally, storage conditions for medical equipment and devices must also meet specific humidity and temperature standards:

• Medical electronics and machinery: Optimal humidity levels range from 45–75% to prevent condensation, rust, or component corrosion. This is critical for diagnostic equipment like X-ray and CT scanners and surgical devices.
• Testing devices: Ideal storage temperatures are 15–25°C, with humidity not exceeding 55%, particularly for biochemistry analyzers or blood testing machines.
• Storage equipment such as medical cabinets or trays: Should be stored in a dry environment with humidity below 70% to prevent contamination or damage from mold.

Medical equipment must be properly stored to prevent the effects of humidity

Maintaining standard humidity and temperature levels for storing medicines and medical equipment not only ensures product quality but also enhances treatment efficacy and patient safety. This helps create optimal storage environments, mitigating negative environmental impacts while preserving pharmaceutical quality, ultimately safeguarding public health and upholding the reputation of healthcare facilities.

Humidity Control Solutions in the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Industries with Kosmen Dehumidifiers

Kosmen is a German electronics technology brand specializing in dehumidifiers and air purifiers with various capacities to meet diverse needs. Many hospitals and medical facilities have chosen dehumidifiers as the optimal solution for safely controlling humidity levels in the storage of medicines and medical equipment. These devices help maintain ideal humidity conditions, preventing the growth of bacteria and mold that could otherwise degrade product quality.

Kosmen dehumidifiers effectively manage humidity in the pharmaceutical and medical industries

With extensive experience and a deep understanding of storage requirements in the healthcare sector, Kosmen has become a trusted partner of leading hospitals and medical facilities in Vietnam. The company has successfully implemented numerous projects involving dehumidifier installations to enhance the quality of medicine and medical equipment storage for esteemed partners:

• Pharmaceutical Storage at Functional Food Factories: Kosmen installed industrial dehumidifiers to maintain optimal humidity levels, protecting the quality of soft capsule shells and preventing damage from moisture.
• Storage for Medicines and Medical Equipment: Kosmen’s dehumidifiers have been installed to assist in storing medicines, raw materials, and medical devices in warehouses, ensuring their quality and therapeutic efficacy. These projects have been implemented at renowned facilities such as Children’s Hospital 1, Saigon Eye Hospital, Tam Minh Duc Hospital, Post Office Hospital, Bach Mai Hospital, and Hospital 175.
• Humidity Control for Medical Devices: Kosmen provided dehumidifier installations in laboratories and sample storage rooms at the VNCORD-DK Tissue Bank Joint Stock Company. This ensures effective humidity control for equipment storage and safe nitrogen preservation conditions.

The Kosmen KM-150S dehumidifier is used for preserving medical equipment

Kosmen currently offers specialized dehumidifiers designed to meet the diverse space requirements of businesses in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors. These include residential dehumidifiers, industrial upright dehumidifiers, and ceiling-mounted dehumidifiers. To enhance user convenience, Kosmen dehumidifiers are equipped with advanced features such as timers, humidity adjustment, Wi-Fi connectivity for remote control, water level alerts, overload protection, automatic defrosting, and memory for storing previous settings.

Dehumidifiers offer exceptional benefits in preserving pharmaceuticals and medical equipment

For hospitals and medical facilities with smaller spaces, household dehumidifiers are often the preferred choice. Kosmen offers household dehumidifiers with a wide range of capacities, from 12 to 60 liters per day, suitable for spaces ranging from 10 to 110 m². Specific models, such as the Kosmen KM-20N, Kosmen KM-30N, and Kosmen KM-60S, effectively control humidity and enhance preservation efficiency in the pharmaceutical and healthcare fields.

Below is a summary of Kosmen's upright industrial dehumidifier models used for preserving pharmaceuticals and medical equipment:

As for ceiling-mounted dehumidifiers, these are an ideal solution for hospitals and medical facilities that need to save space. Featuring a modern design installed overhead, ceiling-mounted dehumidifiers optimize space while offering a wide range of capacities from 136 to 480 liters per day. Below are some ceiling-mounted industrial dehumidifier models for businesses to consider:

When purchasing dehumidifiers, customers can rest assured about the quality and attractive promotional policies offered by Kosmen. Kosmen guarantees 100% genuine products, with free nationwide delivery, installation, and warranty services. With an experienced team, Kosmen provides optimal humidity control solutions to protect pharmaceuticals and medical equipment from the adverse effects of humidity.