1995 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Ethylene Oxide Sterilization and Environmental Management in the Work Room
| Project/Area Number |
06807037
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Public health/Health science
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| Research Institution | Shinshu University |
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Principal Investigator |
FURUHATA Sadahiko Shinshu University, Surgical Center of Shinshu Unversity Hospital, An assistant, 医学部附属病院, 助手 (00252106)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
NISHIMURA Chieko Shinshu University, Surgical Center of Shinshu University Hospital, A lecturer, 医学部附属病院, 講師 (90092858)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1994 – 1995
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| Keywords | Ethylene oxide sterilization / Enveronmental management / Residual ethylene oxide / Working safety / Discharged ethylene oxide / Aeration |
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| Research Abstract |
We continuously measured the density of residual ethylene oxide that was discharged from the sterilized medical materials, and examined the influence of environmental pollution in the work room.
The density of ethylene oxide in the work room was not able to detect during a sterilization. But ethylene oxide (4.2 ppm) was detected at the opening of the sterilizer for putting the sterilized devices into exclusive aerator. Residual ethylene oxide in sterilized devices was not aerated in case of room temperature (25ﾟC) . Especially the residual density of ethylene oxide in polyvinyl chloride tube was more than 5,000 ppm, even if the aeration was done until the discharged density of ethylene oxide was 5 ppm.
But the effect of aeration for residual ethylene oxide rose by heating and increase of quantity of ventilation.
When the sterilized devices were let alone in the work room (25ﾟC) , the environmental density of ethylene oxide was under the working standard value. But the heated (60ﾟC) and sterilized polyvinyl chloride tubes were let alone in the work room, the environmental density of ethylene oxide surpassed the working standard level (1 ppm) in 8-hours TWA (time-weight average).
As a result, we concluded that : when a worker begins to collect the sterilized devices from sterilizer, there is a possibility to be affected by ethylene oxide. If we let the sterilized devices which include high density of ethylene oxide let alone in the work room, there may be thought that the working environment is polluted by residual ethylene oxide.
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