High containment discharge station

A method for unloading loose material hazardous to health from rigid or flexible containers, the method comprising:

• at least partial insertion of a container of the rigid or flexible containers into an unloading chamber via an insertion opening of the unloading chamber and
• emptying of the container and discharge of the material via a discharge opening of the unloading chamber,
• wherein, at least during the emptying of the container, an airflow is generated by a ventilation opening which is disposed on a side of the unloading chamber opposite the insertion opening and by pump means assigned thereto, the airflow causing a laminar airflow from the insertion opening in a direction of the ventilation opening,
• wherein
• before the container is emptied, the container passes through a partition wall having a variable passage opening between the insertion opening and the unloading chamber inside the unloading chamber, wherein the variable passage opening is designed and dimensioned in such a manner that the container to be emptied passes through the variable passage opening and wherein the variable passage opening is designed in such a manner that no airtight sealing or closure is achieved by the partition wall in any state during the emptying and wherein a nozzle arrangement is disposed in an area of the insertion opening, the nozzle arrangement being connected to pump means in such a manner that an airflow in the direction of the ventilation opening is generated, the method further comprising extracting a volume flow through the ventilation opening, the volume flow being proportional to a size or surface of the insertion opening.