Dust Containment for Tablet Manufacturing 101

by Luca Di Siervi

High-potency APIs (HPAPIs) continue to be one of the fastest-growing segments in pharma. According to a recent report by Grand View Research, the global market for HPAPIs will reach 34.8 billion by 2025 [1].

Because HPAPIs are highly toxic, they require a higher level of containment to keep operators safe and also prevent cross-contamination. As a result, my company has seen a growing number of requests for dust containment systems as opposed to the standard filter systems commonly used in the production of less-toxic pharmaceuticals.

The type of dust containment system you need depends on the occupational exposure limit (OEL) of the product you're handling. Typically, when the OEL is less than 100 µg/m3— occupational exposure band 3 or higher [2]—you should move from a standard filter system to a dust containment system.

Such systems guarantee the safety and quality of your products and the safety of your employees by preventing release of dust into the environment during production. They also guarantee that operators won't come into contact with any hazardous dusts during maintenance of the system, such as filter changes, material discharge, and disconnection.

Although the goal of all dust containment systems is to keep hazardous dust out of the environment, you should look for the following options.