VHP Safety Basics
A research technician enters a freshly decontaminated sterilization
room to prepare or collect implements for research procedures. Almost
immediately her nose and throat feel a tingling irritation, then she
begins coughing and feeling a shortness of breath. In a few minutes
she begins experiencing a stinging sensation on her skin, and her eyes
are watering and burning to the point that seeing is difficult. She is
trying to find the door to get out and thinking that she didn't see or
smell anything out of the ordinary upon entering the room. What went
wrong?
Vapor phase hydrogen peroxide decontamination technology is relatively
new, having been available since 1991.1 Vaporized hydrogen peroxide
(VHP), or hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV), is gaining popularity, and we
are seeing rapid expansion of its use in everything from biological
safety cabinets to animal rooms. In fact, HPV is challenging
formaldehyde, a widely used sterilizing agent with many associated
hazards, as the sterilizing agent of choice, and you can easily find
information on its use for equipment decontamination, its efficacy and
material compatibility, and some of the pros and cons of HPV compared
to formaldehyde.
Most of us have heard of hydrogen peroxide and probably purchased it
occasionally at the local pharmacy. Maybe your mom used it to clean
out a small wound, cut, or scrape when you were a child. The commonly
sold over-the-counter (OTC) product is typically a 3 percent aqueous
solution of hydrogen peroxide. The product used in vapor phase
hydrogen peroxide decontamination is much more potent. Solutions used
in typical VHP decontamination processes contains more than 30 percent
hydrogen peroxide, or at least 10 times more than the OTC product. The
concentrated hydrogen peroxide is vaporized in self-contained portable
generators using proprietary and patented methods. These generators
are available from a couple of different companies and in several
configurations depending on the size of the room or equipment to be
decontaminated. Most applications involve sterile manufacturing and/or
packaging of pharmaceuticals or medical devices; the VHP generators
are relatively small and operate in a closed-loop system. The goal
here is to prevent contamination of products by environmental
microorganisms.
Research applications can run the gamut from decontaminating tools or
equipment before removal from biological safety level 3 or 4
laboratories to entire rooms. Work usually involves pathogens, and the
primary concerns are to protect the researchers and to prevent
cross-contamination between experiments. Reduction of environmental
microbial contamination can also be targeted in the case of care and
breeding of specific pathogen-free animals. When large rooms are
decontaminated, the ventilation system is used to maintain the desired
pressure balance and to aid in the decontamination cycle. Usually the
fresh air makeup is shut off, and in many cases the air handling
system is used at the end of the cycle to flush out the room.
Regardless of the configuration and construction materials used, the
room must be well sealed during decontamination to prevent exposure of
workers in adjacent areas.
room to prepare or collect implements for research procedures. Almost
immediately her nose and throat feel a tingling irritation, then she
begins coughing and feeling a shortness of breath. In a few minutes
she begins experiencing a stinging sensation on her skin, and her eyes
are watering and burning to the point that seeing is difficult. She is
trying to find the door to get out and thinking that she didn't see or
smell anything out of the ordinary upon entering the room. What went
wrong?
Vapor phase hydrogen peroxide decontamination technology is relatively
new, having been available since 1991.1 Vaporized hydrogen peroxide
(VHP), or hydrogen peroxide vapor (HPV), is gaining popularity, and we
are seeing rapid expansion of its use in everything from biological
safety cabinets to animal rooms. In fact, HPV is challenging
formaldehyde, a widely used sterilizing agent with many associated
hazards, as the sterilizing agent of choice, and you can easily find
information on its use for equipment decontamination, its efficacy and
material compatibility, and some of the pros and cons of HPV compared
to formaldehyde.
Most of us have heard of hydrogen peroxide and probably purchased it
occasionally at the local pharmacy. Maybe your mom used it to clean
out a small wound, cut, or scrape when you were a child. The commonly
sold over-the-counter (OTC) product is typically a 3 percent aqueous
solution of hydrogen peroxide. The product used in vapor phase
hydrogen peroxide decontamination is much more potent. Solutions used
in typical VHP decontamination processes contains more than 30 percent
hydrogen peroxide, or at least 10 times more than the OTC product. The
concentrated hydrogen peroxide is vaporized in self-contained portable
generators using proprietary and patented methods. These generators
are available from a couple of different companies and in several
configurations depending on the size of the room or equipment to be
decontaminated. Most applications involve sterile manufacturing and/or
packaging of pharmaceuticals or medical devices; the VHP generators
are relatively small and operate in a closed-loop system. The goal
here is to prevent contamination of products by environmental
microorganisms.
Research applications can run the gamut from decontaminating tools or
equipment before removal from biological safety level 3 or 4
laboratories to entire rooms. Work usually involves pathogens, and the
primary concerns are to protect the researchers and to prevent
cross-contamination between experiments. Reduction of environmental
microbial contamination can also be targeted in the case of care and
breeding of specific pathogen-free animals. When large rooms are
decontaminated, the ventilation system is used to maintain the desired
pressure balance and to aid in the decontamination cycle. Usually the
fresh air makeup is shut off, and in many cases the air handling
system is used at the end of the cycle to flush out the room.
Regardless of the configuration and construction materials used, the
room must be well sealed during decontamination to prevent exposure of
workers in adjacent areas.
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