Consider the Risks Involved with Sodium Hypochlorite

How effective is your cleaning and/or sterilization process? Is it efficient and safe for your employees? If your company is like most biotechnologies and life sciences companies, you have probably validated these processes to provide a repeatable bacterial log reduction. But did you know your process may still have variability if you are one of the many using Sodium Hypochlorite? To understand and eliminate this variability from your process, it is important to understand the positives and negatives of this universally used chemical. First produced in 1789, Sodium Hypochlorite, commonly known as bleach, was quickly embraced by the textile industry to remove the natural color of virgin cotton fibers as it is not pure white. Soon after its introduction, it was found that the same oxidative properties that enabled the textiles bleaching also made Sodium Hypochlorite an effective germicide based on its ability to destroy harmful microorganisms. As early as 1800, Sodium Hypochlorite was also being utilized to neutralize the odors associated with disease. Since its introduction, it has been said that no single chemical has played a more impactful role combating disease than Sodium Hypochlorite. Sodium Hypochlorite consists of the formula NaOCl or NaClO, and it is effective in bleaching, cleaning, and deodorizing through oxidation and hydrolysis. Organic dirt exposed to Sodium Hypochlorite becomes water-soluble and non-volatile, which reduces its odor and facilitates it...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Sterilization Source Type: news