7-2
WaterSense at Work: Best Management Practices for Commercial and Institutional Facilities
7.1
Introduction to Laboratory and
Medical Equipment
From dental and doctor’s offices to large general hospitals, veterinary clinics, and
research laboratories, medical and laboratory facilities have special operations and
equipment. These systems can consume a significant amount of water through water
purification, sterilization, photographic and X-ray processes, and vacuum systems.
As shown in Figure 7-1, equipment such as steam sterilizers and reverse osmosis
systems can account for 5 percent of a laboratory’s total water use.
1
Hospitals can
attribute more than 15 percent of their total water use to laboratory and medical
equipment, including steam sterilizers and X-ray processing equipment, as shown in
Figure 7-2.
2
Figure 7-1. LaboratoryWater Consumption
Figure 7-2. Hospital Water Consumption
1
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Laboratory Water Use vs. Office Water Use.
.
2
East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). June 25, 2003. “EBMUD Hospital Water Efficiency: Water Conservation Division.” Page 5.
Cooling Tower
42%
Sanitary
12%
Laboratory
Process
25%
Other Building
Heating and Cooling
5%
Reverse Osmosis
System
2%
Boiler
2%
Steam
Sterilizer
3%
Irrigation
4%
Single-Pass
Cooling
5%
Sanitary
40%
Leaks
8%
Laundry
10%
Kitchen
8%
X-Ray
Processing
6%
Irrigation
5%
Steam
Sterilizers
10%
Building Heating
and Cooling
13%
