SafeBridge® Consultants, Inc. Announces Improved Sensitivity for the Analysis of Naproxen Sodium for Industrial Hygiene Containment Performance Verification and Surrogate Sampling Studies

February 10, 2010 - Mountain View, CA, U.S.A.

SAFEBRIDGE® CONSULTANTS, INC. (“SafeBridge”), headquartered in Mountain View, California announced today that its industrial hygiene analytical laboratory has recently validated an industrial hygiene air sampling and analytical method with improved analytical sensitivity for measurement of naproxen sodium on filters. SafeBridge now has a validated method that will detect as low as 20 picograms per filter in an air sample collected on appropriate media. This limit of detection is four (4) to five (5) times lower than methods available from other commercial laboratories.

Naproxen sodium is used in the pharmaceutical, chemical and nuclear industries for containment verification studies and as a surrogate for more potent or toxic compounds (due to its lower toxicity) to assess potential worker exposure and the performance of containment and control equipment during typical operations. Naproxen sodium has a number of advantages over traditional surrogates such as lactose. It has a high "dustiness quotient” presenting a more aggressive test than lactose and is considered a relatively safe non-potent water-soluble material. Air monitoring surveys using naproxen sodium are conducted to replicate the performance of the containment equipment under "real life" operating conditions.

President and CEO John Farris commented, “Naproxen sodium can now be measured at lower concentrations in air which creates an effective tool for organizations involved in handling hazardous materials in powder and liquid forms. This is important to pharmaceutical and chemical companies as well as containment and engineering control vendors. Industrial hygiene studies using sensitive methods can predict potential worker exposures and identify sources of emissions for the purpose of preventing occupational disease. Our chemists have done excellent and scientifically supportable work to meet our customer needs”.

SafeBridge’s industrial hygiene laboratory is accredited by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) for the analysis of active pharmaceutical ingredients. The SafeBridge advantage is the application of the most sensitive techniques in the industry to detect potent drugs at very low concentrations in the workplace. The laboratory routinely develops methods and analyzes samples that contain biologically active pharmaceuticals such as steroid hormones, enzymes, peptide hormones, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) and “cytotoxic” compounds. In addition, the laboratory conducts assessments of cleaning methods used for both occupational settings and QA cleaning validation purposes and conducts permeation studies with gloves and other chemical protective clothing. The SafeBridge laboratory is especially knowledgeable in the development of immunoassays and application of ELISA technology to detect low concentrations of highly potent drugs on filters.

SAFEBRIDGE CONSULTANTS, INC. is the premier occupational health and safety consulting firm to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and fine chemical industry with offices in Mountain View, CA, New York, NY and Liverpool, UK. SafeBridge has provided the Potent Compound Safety Triangle® of services in industrial hygiene, occupational toxicology and industrial hygiene analytical chemistry to over 500 business units worldwide and is a leader in recognizing, evaluating and controlling exposures to potent active pharmaceutical ingredients and products.

For more information, contact:

John P. Farris, CIH
President and Chief Executive Officer
650-961-4820 x 229
john.farris@safebridge.com

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