Benefits to Growing Cannabis in a Cleanroom Environment

Cannabis growing cleanrooms are quickly becoming the standard for commercial growers. Factors that affect healthy cannabis growth are temperature, humidity, airflow, lighting as well as other airborne contaminants such as mold or insects. A cleanroom is a special facility utilizing a controlled environment. This limits the level of pollutants such as dust, airborne microbes, aerosol particles, and chemical vapors. This is done by utilizing high airflow along with HEPA air filters to keep the air clean. Strict operating procedures are also implemented for all people entering and working in the controlled environment.

By growing in a controlled environment, you can easily control these factors to ensure a healthy, higher yielding crop than in traditional grow rooms, greenhouses, or outdoor fields.

Critical Cannabis Growing Processes

Cleanrooms are used in most industries where delicate processes such a microelectronics manufacturing or where contamination is a health hazard such as in pharmaceutical or food preparation industries. These processes can be harmed or influenced by outside factors. In recent years, cleanroom facilities have begun to be used for growing plants, both for food and for cannabis. By growing and propagating plants in a cleanroom, you control the temperature, humidity, airflow, airborne pollutants, and many other factors that are uncontrollable when growing outside or in non-controlled grow room environments. Cleanrooms can be small as to fit just one or two people, or as large as an entire floor of a building.

Our cleanroom designers can help you plan your cannabis growing cleanroom to control the light, ventilation, humidity, and other factors for multiple areas such as for the mother, cloning, and grow functions. Proper ventilation can be designed that will not only enable cleaning of the environment to prevent introduction and spread of mold and other biological contaminants, it also protects worker safety.

People working in cleanrooms undergo extensive training on how to enter, work in, and exit their lab to prevent contamination or disruption of the critical processes protected by the cleanroom. Where contamination of the process by outside elements are of concern, staff enter and exit through air showers and airlock chambers and gown up in a special gowning room before entering the cleanroom or when moving between functional areas such as the mother, clone, and growing rooms. Cleanroom equipment such as carts and shelving also pass through the air showers to dislodge water and contaminants from crevices.
Workers wear special cleanroom-rated protective clothing designed to not shed particles into the environment as well as trap contaminants that are naturally generated by skin and the body. All apparel and cleaning supplies allowed in a cleanroom themselves must be manufactured and packaged inside of a cleanroom. This ensures that there is no contamination trapped inside the packaging or on the products that you will open in your room.

Protecting Cannabis Workers

See our most popular cannabis grow room apparel recommendations.

• Cannabis growers themselves are subject to a range of biological, chemical, and physical hazards. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), using PPE (personal protective equipment) in addition to other controls may be required to limit workers’ risk in these areas. Some of these risks include:
  Chemical hazards such as fertilizers, other plant nutrients, carbon dioxide, and fungicides designed to reduce mold, mildew, and spores. Exposure via inhalation and/or skin contact can cause respiratory irritation, chemical burns and skin rashes.
• Biological hazards vary but can be the presence of mold due to high levels of humidity plants require. Exposure to molds are known to affect the respiratory system. Additionally, skin exposure and inhalation of cannabis materials such as resin can result in allergic reactions and hypersensitivity in the form of swollen eyes, itchy skin, rashes, and other symptoms.
• Physical hazards with extraction and processing mirror those used as with other agricultural practices. Protection from pressurized equipment, cleaning chemicals, and often flammable substances involved is vital for workers exposed to potentially hazardous situations.

Buying Cannabis Grow Room Supplies

Cleanroom apparel and cleaning supplies are not available at hardware stores or specialty grow shops. Cleanroom suppliers that specialize in working with critical facilities are the best source for correct information and for buying the protective apparel and related supplies. A cleanroom is an expensive investment in the success of your cannabis business requiring guidance and detailed understanding. Most often, contamination issues in cleanrooms arise from improper use of cleanroom apparel and cleaning products so getting the right information is crucial.

Cleanroom Connection offers guidance and recommendations on proper PPE and other cleanroom products used for growing cannabis in cleanrooms. Working with the nation’s leading cannabis and hemp growers, Cleanroom Connection offers advice and guidance on how to use and wear the correct apparel and supplies in your grow rooms. Personal customer service with high-level knowledge of cleanroom growing including hydroponics is a great asset for commercial growers wanting to set up for cleanroom cannabis growing. Cleanroom Connection also offers cannabis growing cleanroom design, construction, and training.

Contact Cleanroom Connection by calling toll-free at 800-616-5319.