With growing concern about contamination of the healthcare environment with
sporulating organisms such as C.difficile and others not susceptible to the
quaternary ammonium compounds commonly used for environmental disinfection,
many facilities are exploring the use of other types of disinfectants to
control these difficult environmental pathogens. We compare the affect of 4
disinfectant methods, 450 nm UV irradiation, chlorine bleach, 10% bleach
solution, and a chlorine-dioxide based disinfectant have on three common
materials found in the healthcare environment: nitrile rubber, 26 gauge
stainless steel and laminate coverings.
Each of these three materials were treated with these four disinfectants
daily in a manner consistent with current guidelines for disinfecting surfaces
contaminated with sporulating organisms daily for 1 week. The affect on the
materials was documented including corrosion, discoloration and microscopic
evaluation. Moreover, the affect of the disinfection on the tensile strength of
the nitrile rubber was evaluated after the 1 week period. Significant corrosion
of the 26 gauge stainless steel was noted on the second day of disinfection
with the disinfectant bleach that continued to progress with additional
treatments. Microscopic pitting was noted on the steel at day 2 with the 10%
bleach solution with visible corrosion noted at day 5, while neither the UV
irradiation nor the chlorine dioxide appeared to corrode the stainless
steel. The nitrile rubber disinfected
with disinfectant bleach was noted to be significantly discolored by day 7, but
all the rubber was grossly intact and microscopically unchanged, however the
tensile strength of the bleach-treated rubber was diminished as compared to the
other samples failing at 2.5 pounds of force with the control/untreated rubber
failing at 7.5 pounds the UV treated rubber failing at 7 pounds, the 10% bleach
treated rubber failed at 6.5 pounds, and the chlorine dioxide treated rubber failed at 6 pounds of force. No
changes were noted on any of the test samples of the laminate during the study
period. As such, these data demonstrate that bleach should not be used for
disinfection in areas with stainless steel or nitrile rubber in favor of other
technologies such as chlorine dioxide or UV irradiation.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
To bleach or not to bleach: a comparison of environmental disinfecting techniques effective against sporulating pathogens (Poster)
With growing concern about contamination of the healthcare environment with
sporulating organisms such as C.difficile and others not susceptible to the
quaternary ammonium compounds commonly used for environmental disinfection,
many facilities are exploring the use of other types of disinfectants to
control these difficult environmental pathogens. We compare the affect of 4
disinfectant methods, 450 nm UV irradiation, chlorine bleach, 10% bleach
solution, and a chlorine-dioxide based disinfectant have on three common
materials found in the healthcare environment: nitrile rubber, 26 gauge
stainless steel and laminate coverings.
Each of these three materials were treated with these four disinfectants
daily in a manner consistent with current guidelines for disinfecting surfaces
contaminated with sporulating organisms daily for 1 week. The affect on the
materials was documented including corrosion, discoloration and microscopic
evaluation. Moreover, the affect of the disinfection on the tensile strength of
the nitrile rubber was evaluated after the 1 week period. Significant corrosion
of the 26 gauge stainless steel was noted on the second day of disinfection
with the disinfectant bleach that continued to progress with additional
treatments. Microscopic pitting was noted on the steel at day 2 with the 10%
bleach solution with visible corrosion noted at day 5, while neither the UV
irradiation nor the chlorine dioxide appeared to corrode the stainless
steel. The nitrile rubber disinfected
with disinfectant bleach was noted to be significantly discolored by day 7, but
all the rubber was grossly intact and microscopically unchanged, however the
tensile strength of the bleach-treated rubber was diminished as compared to the
other samples failing at 2.5 pounds of force with the control/untreated rubber
failing at 7.5 pounds the UV treated rubber failing at 7 pounds, the 10% bleach
treated rubber failed at 6.5 pounds, and the chlorine dioxide treated rubber failed at 6 pounds of force. No
changes were noted on any of the test samples of the laminate during the study
period. As such, these data demonstrate that bleach should not be used for
disinfection in areas with stainless steel or nitrile rubber in favor of other
technologies such as chlorine dioxide or UV irradiation.
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This is a very informative article and I am glad to see the research on this topic.
ReplyDeleteGlad so see someone looking at a variety of possibilities on real-world surfaces in healthcare
ReplyDeleteI am interested in finding out more!
ReplyDeleteA comprehensive look at the effect of commonly used disinfectants on the materials they are used to disinfect. This is really important information as the microscopic destruction of these surfaces can result in the development of new nooks and crannies for bacteria to hide in.
ReplyDelete