Experts disagree on allowing handicapped personnel in firms' clean rooms.

ARLINGTON, VA -- Experts in microbiological control disagreed on whether someone who is wheelchair-bound should be allowed to gown and work in a cleanroom.

"My first thought was no, and then, Hell, No," said Russell Madsen, a consultant and former executive of the Parental Drug Assn. "But, then I got to thinking about it, and there may be various parts of the world where regulations could require that. But how do we deal with something like this? Imagine how much dirt a wheelchair can pick up."

Madsen broached the issue at ISPE's Washington conference here June 8 because of a posting on PDA's online discussion group June 6. There, a professor at University of Central Lancashire in the U.K., wrote:

"We are in the process of designing an aseptic suite within an educational facility and concerns have been raised about the design of the changing area. It is likely that the inclusion of a step-over barrier in the area between the changing room and aseptic suite will breach the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. Has anyone come across this issue or have suggestions as how we would resolve?

"For example, if we had a student in a wheelchair, we would obviously not be able to allow their wheelchair access to the aseptic area, would we need to keep a 'clean' wheelchair in the aseptic area?"

The law is a U.K. law, but a Dutch respondent noted he had a wheelchair-bound student who was "very keen to see what happened in the clean room, particularly how ampoules were filled."

As she played tennis at international level, she had two wheelchairs, one for the street and one for tennis. She followed the normal clothing procedure, her second wheel chair was 'disinfected' as far as possible and she filled her own ampoules. Due to a broken ampoule she got a flat tire, which she fixed immediately."

Stephen Chew, director of quality control for lab information systems at Baxter, Thousand Oaks, CA, said U.S. law--the American Disabilities Act--says firms must provide Areasonable accommodations@ for the handicapped "but this just may be a job not suited to someone in wheelchair."

"If you can't swim, you can't be a lifeguard either," he noted. Chew said U.S. firms also would have to examine state laws in this regard.

But James Agalloco, a New Jersey-based consultant, said "there are just some jobs you can't physically do. You don't allow a blind man to drive a bus and shouldn't put someone in a wheelchair to gown in an aseptic court."