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Contents: Disinfecting surfaces | Disinfecting medical equipment | Terms | Links Disinfecting surfaces or handsSanitize vs. Disinfect:Sanitizers kill 99.9 percent of bacteria within 30 seconds. e.g. purell, germ-X hand sanatizers. 63% Ethyl Alcohol. See hand sanitizers
Disinfectants Kill nearly 100% of bacteria, but not necessarily within 30 seconds.
It costs up to $1 Million to get a product certified as a disinfectant, so you pay about 30% more.
Time and Concentration:
The CDC's Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities: Surface Disinfection says:
In "The Relationship Of Concentration And Germicidal Efficiency Of Ethyl Alcohol", 1950, Harry E. Morton, Univ. of Pennsylavania School of medicine he says: The standard food service mixture for sanitizing solution is approx 1 cup of chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of warm water. According to Big Jay reviews everything, washing with regular soap probably removes 99% of the bacteria.
According to WebMD: When the Clorox Company had to defend its Green Works product line, the NAD ruled that the cleaners are, in fact, as effective as traditional cleaning products at removing most soils. However, the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus recommended that Clorox be clear with consumers that Green Works cleaners cannot kill germs or cut through tough grease stains as well as some stronger cleaners that contain disinfectants. Continual exposure to the toxic chemicals found in most disinfectants, sanitizers and cleaners weakens your immune system, leaving you more prone to recurring infections. A study of over 200 healthy households found that households using antibacterial products did not have any reduced risk for runny noses, coughs, and other symptoms of infectious diseases.
Researchers have raised concerns about triclosan, the most common ingredient in antibacterial soaps, and its link to dioxins, which altered sex hormones, birth defects, and cancer.
In a 2000 report, "Antibacterial Household Products: Cause for Concern", Stuart B. Levy from Tufts University School of Medicine, says: A 2009 report by Women's Voices for the Earth (WVE) -- titled "Disinfectant Overkill: How Too Clean May Be Hazardous to Our Health" -- cites more than 40 scientific studies that illustrate the health risks associated with chemicals found in kitchen cleaners, handy wipes, and other common cleaning products. In 1998, high school student, Merri Moken, showed that using common household disinfectants we're creating strains of mutant, antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Disinfectant and antibiotics kill germs in similar ways (by breaking down the bacterial cell walls or inhibiting protein synthesis), hence the connection.
Other Dangers:
Viruses:
Ingredients: 4. Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (ADBAC) (60%C14, 30%C16, 5%C18, 5%C12) * 5. Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (50%C14, 40%C12, 10%C16 ) 6. Alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chloride (68%C12, 32%C14) 7. Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (67%C12, 25%C14, 7%C16, 1%C18) 8. Citric Acid C6H8O7 9. Didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride C22H48ClN 10. Dioctyl dimethyl ammonium chloride 11. Ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) 15. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) 16. o-Phenylphenol C6H5C6H4OH 19. Octyl decyl dimethyl ammonium chloride 30. Sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) (Beach) 33. Pine Oil 35. Isopropyl alcohol (C3H7OH) 38. Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (58%C14, 28%C16, 14%C12) 47. 2-(2-(p-(diisobutyl) phenoxy) ethoxy) ethyl dimethyl ammonium chloride or Benzenemethanaminium, N,N-dimethyl-N-(2-(2-(4-(1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenoxy)ethoxy)ethyl)-, chloride 56. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as lye and caustic soda* Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride (ADBAC) is a broad spectrum biocide for the control of algae, bacteria, fungi, viruses and molluscs at the following use sites: swimming pools, empty food storage areas (e.g. potato), indoor hard surfaces (e.g. sinks, countertops, musical instrument mouthpieces, garbage pails, shower stalls), other indoor surfaces/water (e.g. upholstery, carpets, closed toilet systems, humidifiers), industrial process fluids (e.g. pulp and paper mill systems, open cooling water tower systems, air washers, industrial scrubbing systems/recirculating water cooling towers and wastewater systems), material (e.g. textiles, leather) and wood. It is of the chemical family Quaternary amines (quats) ,comprised of 24 compounds that are structurally similar quaternary ammonium compounds . Products such as CaviCide, Sani-Cloth and some Lysol products contain ADBAC's. Disinfecting medical equipmentMedical equipment that comes in contact with skin can just be disinfected.If it comes in contact with mucous membranes or internal structures it should be sterilized. See ADBAC at Health Canada
Terms: Antibacterial: Anything that destroys bacteria or suppresses their growth or their ability to reproduce. Heat, chemicals such as chlorine, and antibiotic drugs all have antibacterial properties. Antiseptic - A substance which inhibits the growth and development of microorganisms. It means "against infection". Usually refers to a substance put on a small wound to avoid infection. Disinfectant - One of three groups of antimicrobials registered by EPA for public health uses. EPA considers an antimicrobial to be a disinfectant when it destroys or irreversibly inactivates infectious or other undesirable organisms, but not necessarily their spores. EPA registers three types of disinfectant products based upon submitted efficacy data: limited, general or broad spectrum, and hospital disinfectant. See Disinfection Germicide - A substance or agent that kills microorganism. e.g. a Disinfectant Sanitizer - One of three groups of antimicrobials registered by EPA for public health uses. EPA considers an anti-microbial to be a sanitizer when it reduces but does not necessarily eliminate all the microorganisms on a treated surface. To be a registered sanitizer, the test results for a product must show a reduction of at least 99.9% in the number of each test microorganism over the parallel control.
Sterilizer - One of three groups of antimicrobials registered by EPA for public health uses. EPA considers an antimicrobial to be a sterilizer when it destroys or eliminates all forms of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their spores. Because spores are considered the most difficult form of a microorganism to destroy, EPA considers the term sporicide to be synonymous with "sterilizer. An autoclave is a device which sterilizes with superheated steam. Glossary of Terms at the EPA
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