HVAC system replacement and upgrade

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this grant is to replace a Heating-Ventilation-Air Conditioning (HVAC) unit and upgrade the environmental control and monitoring systems that are used to service the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) animal facility. The institution has both short and long term goals to improve animal care and the services that support the research program. Thirty-five basic and clinically applied laboratories plus many outside users conduct animal research in experimental radiotherapy; in developing new imaging modalities to diagnose and treat cancers, studying the neurological effects of many diseases including addiction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and other aging diseases and determining genetic susceptibilities to these maladies; and in exploring the physiological effects of heavy ion, ionizing radiation. The uniqueness of the experimental equipment available at the BNL makes much of this work impossible to do anywhere else in the world. An adequately functioning HVAC system is critical to the ability of the animal facility staff to maintain proper environmental conditions, not only to meet regulatory requirements but to assure that the scientific information obtained from these animals is reliable and repeatable and can be applied to the human conditions they are modeling. The requested funding will be used to purchase a replacement HVAC unit, replacement of all the associated humidification units, and installation of new temperature and humidity monitoring and control systems. These upgrades are necessary to maintain the aging animal facility's environmental parameters within the ranges necessary not only for regulatory requirements but to ensure optimum health of the animals housed within the facility.