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News

Heavy Duty Disinfection
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The Biocidal Products Directive affects disinfectant use across Europe and will have a large impact on the disinfectant market. The change of emphasis to operator and environmental safety is forcing the older coal-derived phenol products off the market. Although this is not legally binding until September 2006, some suppliers are already moving away from these types of products.

Kilco will continue to supply the Virophen and Virophen Plus products into the European market but users do need to think about the future and in particular about their choice of heavy duty disinfectant.

The iodine and chlorine based products are suitable for smooth, clean surfaces but older, wooden structures need a more robust disinfectant. The alternatives are glutaraldehyde and peracetic acid. Kilco sell Viroshield and Viroguard as aldehyde based disinfectants and HPPA as a peracetic acid product. Kilco are aware of the inaccurate and selective use of data to present aldehydes as excessively dangerous and would like to reassure our customers that our aldehyde products are not hazardous if used correctly.

Aldehydes are good broad spectrum disinfectants with bactericidal and virucidal activity. They are suitable for heavy duty applications and are less affected by organic matter than the chlorines or peroxygens.

Much has been made of the problems with aldehyde sensitivity within the hospital environment. This is a totally different use scenario and involves long term exposure in a poorly ventilated area. Both aldehydes and peracetic acid have strong, distinctive odours and they both have operator exposure limits. Neither of these are a problem if the operators are wearing the correct Personal Protective Equipment and the buildings are well ventilated.

Kilco have undertaken trials and accurately measured atmospheric glutaraldehyde levels. Viroshield was applied via a foaming lance and the levels measured with a PPM Technology glutaraldemeter 3. Readings were taken before, during and after the entire spraying process over the shoulder of the operator and at the centre of the house. At no time did the exposure levels go above the safe limit of 0.05ppm. The exposure to the operator was lower still as he was wearing a respirator.

The low exposure levels may be partly due to the foaming application method. The spray is applied to the surface at lower pressure and there is significantly less product bouncing back of the surfaces. This lower volume of spray in the atmosphere leads to lower exposure levels. Foaming application reduces the amount of surfactant required to achieve good penetration into porous surfaces and still provides some mechanical action to loosen any remaining organic material. The foam treated areas are highly visible and this reduces the need for colouring agents.

Allegations of poor environmental performance have also been made against the aldehydes but this is simply not true. They are simple molecules which are easily broken down in the environment. They contain no chlorine or nitrogen and are compatible with waste treatment facilities.

Aldehydes are more easily stored and transported than peracetic acid as there are no segregation issues. Viroguard and Viroshield can be stored with acid and alkaline products and will not attack concrete surfaces if spilled. They are not temperature sensitive during storage or transport and consequently have far longer shelf lives. They are easy to dilute and apply and do not corrode metal surfaces.

Kilco have just built a new plant and filling line specifically for aldehyde based products. This is highly automated and uses the latest technology to reduce operator exposure to virtually zero.

Disinfection is of limited use if the surface are not clean. All cleaning programmes should place strong emphasis on cleaning before disinfection. Kilco’s fifty years of experience in the food hygiene market gives a unique insight into cleaning processes and technology and we will be happy to advise on a cleaning and disinfection programme including either aldehyde or peracetic acid products.

In conclusion, heavy-duty glutaraldehyde disinfectants such as Viroshield and Viroguard are efficacious for use in all intensive livestock areas. Like all disinfectants, they should be used with care and in conjunction with the correct personal protective equipment. If used correctly, they will provide effective, economical disinfection with minimal hazard to the operator or the environment. They are comparatively easy to transport and can be stored with other hazardous chemicals making them easy to add to an existing programme.

Kilco can provide advice and expertise in the use of a wide variety of products for all types of cleaning and disinfection situations.