Environmental Disinfection

With all the concerns and notoriety of regularly-documented strains of infectious diseases, new mutant strains are appearing and are creating additional concerns for all health and safety personnel involved in the public and private sectors. Health Department Associates are finding themselves looking for additional resources to assist in handling the everyday needs required and expected of them. Infectious materials can be serious or fatal if not handled properly.

This is where Emergi-Clean, Inc. can assist: by remediating the scene from start to finish.

MRSA

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacteria that is resistant to many antibiotics. MRSA can cause a variety of problems, ranging from skin infections to pneumonia.

When regularly cleaning your space, make sure to focus on surfaces that touch people’s bare skin each day and any surfaces that could come into contact with uncovered infections,such as the surfaces of benches in a weight room or locker room.

The EPA provides a list of EPA-registered products effective against MRSA

HIV/AIDS

HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. It is the virus that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Unlike some other viruses, the human body cannot get rid of HIV. That means that once you have HIV, you have it for life.

In the past, disinfection procedures before endoscopies used EtO sterilization on the endoscopic instruments because they believed this practice reduced the risk for infection 28, 239. Today, EtO is not routinely used for endoscope sterilization because of the lengthy processing time. Endoscopes and other semicritical devices should be managed the same way regardless of whether the patient is known to be infected with HBV, HCV, HIV or M. tuberculosis.

A review of the initial intent of the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard that specifically deals with the cleaning of contaminated work surfaces, i.e., 1910.1030(d)(4)(ii)(A), reveals that OSHA intended to provide a performance-based provision that would allow for future development of “appropriate disinfectant” products. OSHA has reviewed the information on the disinfectants and has reconsidered its position on EPA-registered disinfectants that are labeled as effective against HBV and HIV.

It is important to emphasize the EPA-approved label section titled “SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR CLEANING AND DECONTAMINATION AGAINST HIV-1 AND HBV OF SURFACES\OBJECTS SOILED WITH BLOOD\BODY FLUIDS”, according to osha.gov .

HEPATITIS A, B, C

Hepatitis A – is a liver infection caused by the Hepatitis A virus (HAV). Hepatitis A is highly contagious. It is usually transmitted by the fecal-oral route, either through person-to-person contact or consumption of contaminated food or water.

Hepatitis B – is a liver infection caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV). Hepatitis B is transmitted when blood, semen, or another body fluid from a person infected with the Hepatitis B virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. This can happen through sexual contact, sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment, or from mother-to-baby at birth.

Hepatitis C – is a liver infection caused by the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus. Today, most people become infected with the Hepatitis C virus by sharing needles or other equipment used to inject drugs.

NOROVIRUSES

Norovirus is a very contagious virus. You can get norovirus from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces.

In order to disinfect norovirus, use a chlorine bleach solution with a concentration of 1000–5000 ppm (5–25 tablespoons of household bleach [5.25%] per gallon of water) or another disinfectant registered as effective against norovirus. Using a professional company helps prevent the spread of the virus. Professional companies such as Emergi-Clean Inc. know how to clean up and disinfect the right way.

For more information, see EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products Effective Against Norovirus (Norwalk-like virus)[3 pages].

ENTEROVIRUSES

Enteroviruses are small, very contagious viruses made of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and protein. The most well known are polioviruses — the cause of paralytic poliomyelitis, commonly known as polio. While paralytic poliomyelitis is targeted for global eradication through vaccination, the non-polio enteroviruses continue to be responsible for a wide spectrum of diseases.

Ethyl alcohol, at concentrations of 60%–80%, is a potent virucidal agent inactivating all of the lipophilic viruses (e.g., herpes, vaccinia, and influenza virus) and many hydrophilic viruses (e.g., 38 Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities, 2008 adenovirus, enterovirus, rhinovirus, and rotaviruses but not hepatitis A virus [HAV] 58 or poliovirus) 49, according to cdc.gov.