Effect of thermal ballast loading on temperature stability of domestic refrigerators used for vaccine storage.

ABSTRACT: Vaccine temperature control failures represent a significant public and private healthcare cost. Vaccines damaged by excessive heat or freezing lose their effectiveness, putting public health at risk. Some vaccine administration programs recommend placing water bottles inside domestic refrigerators used for vaccine storage as a thermal ballast, to mitigate temperature excursion risks. However, the effect of variable thermal ballast loading on refrigerator performance has not been thoroughly quantified or documented, and generalized programmatic recommendations are subject to end-user interpretation. Here we show that a thermal ballast load comprising ten to fifteen percent of the total refrigerator storage volume provides a measurable effect on domestic refrigerator temperature stability d

SUBMITTER: Chojnacky M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7343171 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature