NEWS RELEASE
ARTEL Extreme Pipetting Expedition Finds Humid Environment Ideal
for Accurate and Precise Pipetting
Visits Olympic National Park for Mission #4
New Orleans, LA (March 3, 2008) – The ARTEL Extreme Pipetting Expedition announces data showing that pipettes
performed accurately and precisely in the humid Olympic National Park yet
under-delivered significantly in a drier facility mimicking typical laboratory
conditions. For Mission #4, ARTEL studied the effect of humidity on pipetted volumes because
regulatory standards recommend that pipette calibration take place in
facilities with 60 percent relative humidity, while working laboratories
commonly operate at 15-40 percent relative humidity. The data indicate that
pipettes calibrated off-site are prone to under-deliver once returned to their
usual environments.
ARTEL is releasing the results from Mission #4 at PITTCON 2008 (booth #4303),
March 3-6 at the Earnest N. Morial Center in New Orleans, LA. [See complete report here.]
“In previous missions, ARTEL found significant liquid handling error when
pipetting in extreme environments with factors such as low barometric pressure
and dry heat. Now, ARTEL found almost zero error in the extremely humid Olympic National Park,” says George Rodrigues, Ph.D., Senior Scientific Manager, ARTEL. “Laboratory managers should consider if their facilities have conditions similar
to those at Olympic National Park, with 74 percent relative humidity. If not,
laboratory data integrity may be at risk.”
Pipettes performed well in the humid environment of Olympic National Park due to
the low evaporation potential. A function of both temperature and relative humidity, evaporation potential
influences the rate of evaporation. Greater evaporation occurs in warm environments than in cold environments when
relative humidity is held constant, leading to temperature-dependent
under-delivery. The greater the evaporation potential, the more pronounced are pipetting
inaccuracy and imprecision.
Rialto Beach in Olympic National Park had a very low evaporation potential (4.5
mbar), with a temperature of
14°C and relative humidity of 74 percent. Using the ARTEL PCS® (Pipette Calibration System), ARTEL found that pipettes performed extremely well, with average inaccuracy of only -0.35 percent and an average imprecision ratio of 1.33.
14°C and relative humidity of 74 percent. Using the ARTEL PCS® (Pipette Calibration System), ARTEL found that pipettes performed extremely well, with average inaccuracy of only -0.35 percent and an average imprecision ratio of 1.33.
Pipettes were also tested at Olympic Inn, with a temperature of 20°C and relative humidity of 60 percent – an ideal regulatory specification for pipette calibration laboratories. Pipettes performed well here, as expected, with average inaccuracy of -0.11 percent and an average imprecision ratio of 0.68.
To quantify the difference in pipette performance in humid environments versus
typical working laboratories, ARTEL pipetted in a laboratory with a temperature
of 21°C and relative humidity of 22 percent. ARTEL found a statistically significant degradation in pipette performance here
versus the 60 percent relative humidity environment, with average inaccuracy of
-1.55 percent and an average imprecision ratio of 7.10. These results call into question the performance of pipettes calibrated
off-site, such as in a pipette calibration facility, and used in a drier
working laboratory. The data also support the need to calibrate pipettes in the environment in which
they are used.
Olympic National Park was chosen as the location for Mission #4 because it is
known for its lush, rainforest-like environment. The Park is home to 266 glaciers, over 60 miles of Pacific coastline, and
temperate conditions, with over 140 inches of rainfall each year.
The Extreme Pipetting Expedition is a multi-phase, year-long scientific study
illustrating the impact of laboratory environmental conditions on pipetting
performance and data integrity. Previous Expedition missions explored how pipetting data integrity is affected
by barometric pressure, pipetting warm and cold liquids, and dry heat. In the future, ARTEL plans to test pipette performance in actual working
laboratories where the environment is believed to have an impact on data, and
to offer laboratories concrete guidance on optimizing liquid handling
operations.
# # #
ARTEL is the worldwide leader in liquid handling quality assurance. ARTEL manufactures the most accurate, precise and easy-to-use systems for
ensuring data integrity in any process requiring liquid volume measurement.
ARTEL systems, based on proprietary Ratiometric Photometry, conform to ISO
8655-7 and provide NIST-traceable results to ensure reproducible data and
regulatory compliance. In addition, ARTEL provides liquid handling quality
assurance support and consultation services including on-site pipetting
technique training and certification for pipette users and laboratory managers,
and Liquid Handler Performance Verification services for automated
laboratories. Since 1982, ARTEL technology has been proven in daily use in
thousands of laboratories including pharmaceutical, clinical, forensic, public
health and environmental. Leading institutions such as Amgen, ARUP,
Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Centers for Disease Control, DuPont, Eli Lilly,
FBI, Genentech, Genomic Health, Mayo Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer
Center, Merck, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble and U.S. FDA depend on ARTEL technology to help them meet their
objectives for quality and productivity.