Clinical laboratory environmental contamination: use of a fluorescence/bacterial tracer.

A "Centrifichem" centrifugal analyser was found using a double fluorescence/bacterial tracer method to be a source of airborne and surface contamination in the laboratory. The airborne contamination was controlled by a modification incorporating a filter. Ubiquitous surface contamination generally accompanied the processing of simulated patients' sera. Double tracer samples could be used in laboratories to assess the quality of hygiene practices in the same way as quality control samples are currently used to assess the quality of analytical performance. The findings indicated a lack of understanding of basic hygiene practices in the laboratory.