💥Sterilant of choice for sterilizing heat labile medical equipment
💥e.g. plastic and rubber items, blankets,crude drugs and powders,glass ,metal, paper,fabrics
💥Also used for sterilizing heart-lung machines, respirators, sutures
💥Extremely penetrant, non corrosive,effective
💥Toxic, irritant, mutagenic and a suspected carcinogen
💥Explosive, except when mixed with other gases like Carbon dioxide or Nitrogen in the ratio 1:10 (require expensive equipment)
💥Usually used at 55-60 degree at about 33% humidity
💥Items to be sterilized should be clean and packaged with polythene or polypropylene (don't use nylon)
💥The sterilizing process should be monitored by spore tests +/- indicator tests
💥As ETO and its residues are toxic and irritant, materials exposed should be thoroughly aerated before use. Aeration at 55 degree greatly enhances elution of ETO
💥Control limit of exposure of individuals at work is 1 ppm ETO over an 8 hour time weighted averaged period
💥Irradiated articles should not be subsequently treated with ETO, unless they are known to be safe after such treatment
Reference :
Hospital Associated Infections; Epidemiology, Prevention and Control , Nita Patwardhan , p:71-72
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