A study of particles and cleanroom flooring revealed that the levels of particles removed from footwear and retained on the flooring were highest for the polymeric flooring when compared with a range of different adhesive mats.

A further risk arises from the use of disposable adhesive cleanroom mats in relation to the removal of the top layer of the mats, as the act of peeling an adhesive mat generates a relatively high number of particles.

The results are general trends and there are different variables to consider. Nevertheless, there appear to be advantages relating to the use of polymeric flooring as a means of ensuring tighter contamination control.

This cleanroom tip was taken from “Contamination Control Under Foot,” which appeared in the July/August 2012 issue of Controlled Environments.