Cold Rooms are generally used for cell and bacterial culture, storage of biological reagents, and sometimes as work area for temperature-sensitive experiments.

Cold rooms for labs consisted of insulated boxes without any ventilation. Since there is no ventilation, they are not suitable for the storge of hazardous chemicals, compressed gases, or dry ice. Chemicals vaporizing into the air can accumulate and pose inhalation exposure to personnel or create an explosion hazard.

Another hazard associated with cold rooms is mold growth. Storage of cellulose containing materials (cardboard boxes, paper etc.) is one of the leading causes of mold growth in cold rooms. Mold growth can contribute to health problems caused by inhalation of the spores as well as contamination of research materials.

To learn more about how to use cold rooms safely at UAB, refer to Guidelines for the Use of Cold Rooms document.