How should laboratory equipment contaminated with heavy impurity from pigs be cleaned if it is easily damaged by the ritual washing with soil?

Summary

Handling impurity out of need, including for research, is permissible, and in ordinary cases body parts and tools touched by heavy impurity are washed with the seven washes and soil (tasbi` and tatrib). If this damages lab equipment and burdens researchers, the fatwa leans towards a concession to follow Imam al-Nawawi (one wash as obligatory or three as recommended, without tasbi` and tatrib) or the Hanafi school (such as rubbing, scraping and sweeping the impurity away). This concession applies only to particular cases involving hardship and may not be applied broadly. It must be regulated by weighing benefit against harm so that it does not become trifling with religion or careless talfiq.

Written in our own words from the original fatwa — check the source before acting on it.