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What Are the Dangers of Centrifuges?

Centrifuges are machines that spin samples at high speeds around and around. This motion has the effect of separating various components of the sample. Centrifuges are potentially dangerous primarily because of the speed of the rotors inside the machine, but also because the samples themselves may be dangerous. Physics, chemistry and genetics laboratories may all use centrifuges to prepare samples.

  1. Rotor Failure

    • Since the machine spins the rotors and the samples at extremely high speeds, a rotor that breaks can spin out of control and hit laboratory personnel. The risk of a rotor failure depends on the thoroughness of the safety and maintenance procedures. Rotors that have become damaged or corroded are more likely to break than rotors that are kept clean and dry. An analyst should also balance the sample equally in the machine to prevent the rotors from becoming unbalanced and moving out of position.

    Spillage

    • The tubes that hold the samples inside a centrifuge may not contain the sample correctly, and it may spray over the machine parts during centrifugation. Laboratory personnel may be clumsy in handling properly centrifuged samples and spill them while taking them out of the machine. Spills can also affect the condition of the mechanical parts of the machine, rendering them weaker or creating blockages while making the centrifuge more likely to rupture.

    Aerosolization

    • Centrifuges hold a variety of samples, some of which are intrinsically hazardous. The rapid spin of the centrifuge can potentially release some of the sample into the air inside a closed machine, and the aerosol can escape into the laboratory atmosphere. For example, biological samples such as bacterial cultures can infect laboratory personnel, chemical samples may be toxic when inhaled and radioactive samples may also be ingested or absorbed through the skin. Lab personnel can reduce the likelihood of aerosolization by keeping the lid closed and, for chemical samples, by opening the centrifuge in a laboratory fume hood to draw away potential aerosols.

    Tube Dangers

    • Sample tubes can break in the machine, or the analyst can break them while extracting them from the centrifuge. Broken tubes can result in cuts and other injuries. If an analyst operates the centrifuge without the lid closed, the sample tubes may also fly out of the machine and cause injuries. Even after the machine has stopped powering the rotors, the samples may still be spinning, and tubes can dislodge if the analyst opens the cover during the slowdown period.

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