Disinfection procedures

Automation of disinfection procedures, e.g. use of automatic machines, still with a good standard of general ventilation, for disinfecting endoscopes... 

Unrestricted use of reclaimed wastewater for drinking water, however, requires careful examination. While practically a complete barrier to viruses, bacteria, and other toxic entities that must be kept out of a potable supply, RO membranes could pose serious problems should any defect develop in their separation mechanism. Given the purity and clarity of RO-treated wastewaters, however, it might be advantageous to use RO and then subject the product to well-established disinfection procedures. 

The control over human viral diseases is exercised by active immunization (Chapters 14 and 16) of the population, together with general hygiene and physical and chemical disinfection procedures. 

As already mentioned, smooth, polished surfaces are cleaned most easily. Floors and horizontal surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected daily, walls and ceilings as often as required, but the interval should not exceed 1 month. Regular microbiological monitoring should be carried out to determine the efficacy of disinfection procedures. Records should be kept and immediate remedial action taken should normal levels for that area be exceeded. 

The national organic certification bodies will also provide useful information on food processing standards in organic food production. In addition, there are publications that have reviewed decontamination processes and disinfection procedures used in the fresh produce industry. Some of these are also listed below. 

In some instances, provisional guideline values have been set for constiments for which there is some evidence of a potential hazard but where the available information on health effects is limited. Provisional guideline values have also been set for substances for which the calculated guideline value would be below the practical quantification level, or below the level that can be achieved through practical treatment methods, as well as for certain substances when it is likely that guideline values will be exceeded as a result of disinfection procedures. 

In addition to regular disinfection procedures, cooling systems (and especially the towers) should always be cleaned and disinfected (chlorinated)... 

Protocols for cleaning and disinfection programs vary from country to country, and often within any particular country, they will vary from state to state or province to province. In addition, the protocols vary depending on whether the disinfection procedure is part of a scheduled maintenance program or an emergency decontamination response. Commonly, however, the disinfection procedures fall into three parts. 

Simple and reliable disinfection procedure with high performance, safe and easy handling, storage and shipping... 

In addition, S02 is used for reducing excess chlorine in water-disinfection procedures. 

Production control through registration of process parameters, formulation, flow rates, ingredient consumption, and other production variables has been described in Sections 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3. Cleaning and disinfection procedures have been described in Section 4.3. 

There are no particular measures for inactivating HCV, except for the same disinfecting procedures as applied for viral hepatitis B. Emphasis is thus placed on formalin, aldehyde derivatives and chlorine preparations as well as heating (e.g. 60°C for 10 hours), (s. p. 423)... 

Effective disinfectants are available for immediate use in the event of a spillage and there must be specified disinfection procedures. 

Routine cleaning and disinfection procedures are effective for decontaminating automated analyzers. Laboratory staff should disinfect analyzers after use following manufacturer recommendations or with a 5,000 parts per million solution (1 100 dilution) of sodium hypochlorite (1/4 cup of household bleach to 1 gallon of water). 

Precautions must be taken to avoid contamination or confusion during incubation. There should be a cleaning and disinfection procedure for incubators. Containers in incubators should be carefully and dearly labelled. 

The supplier must demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the cleaning and disinfection procedures for each piece of equipment. The evaluation must consider the potential impact of traces of contaminant with the pharmaceutical customers. All equipment which has been in contact with contaminated material should be thoroughly cleaned and/or disinfected before use in contact with an excipient. 

Walls, floors, ceilings, and equipment in an aseptic area are cleaned and disinfected in accordance with a written program. The program differentiates between the daily cleaning and disinfection procedures and those undertaken when a different drug is fabricated. 

The efficacy of the cleaning and disinfection procedures is routinely confirmed. 

The effectiveness and frequency of the disinfection procedure shall be determined as part of the process validation. Evaluation of the efficacy of disinfectants should be related to the reduction of types and numbers of micro-organisms recovered from surfaces during routine environmental monitoring. 

This section addresses disinfection procedures using chemical agents during which fluids are applied to surfaces with the intention of reducing the count of micro-organisms inside the controlled workspace of an isolator. 

Some arenaviruses, such as Lassa and Machupo viruses, are associated with secondary person-to-person and nosocomial (health-care setting) transmission. This occurs when a person infected by exposure to the virus from the rodent host spreads the virus to other humans. This may occur in a variety of ways. Person-to-person transmission is associated with direct contact with the blood or other excretions, containing virus particles, of infected individuals. Airborne iransmi.ssion has also been reported in connection w ith certain viruses. Contact with objects contaminated with these materials, such as medical equipment, is also as.sociated with transmission. In these situations, use of protective clothing and disinfection procedures (together called barrier nursing) help prevent further spread of illness. 

Floors must be easily cleaned and disinfected. Drains should be avoided, as these are important sources of contamination. If a drain is unavoidable because the equipment demands it, it should be equipped with a sanitary valve, preferably a type that closes automatically when the connected equipment is shut down. Such a drain requires a well-documented disinfection procedure. 

Complete protection of operator and product can be achieved by an isolator (see Sect. 28.3.7). Apart from complete product and operator protection other advantages are controlled disinfection procedures, lower initial investments costs of the background area and exploitation costs. Disadvantages are higher costs compared to a LAF unit and its elaborate cleaning and maintenance. Therefore, in practice the choice of type of local exhaust equipment is determined by a risk assessment of the... 

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