Glutaraldehyde in the hospital environment

Glutaraldehyde isfound in the hospital environment at higher concentrations than those to which the general population is exposed.

It`s possible adverse health effects are therefore very important to those working in certain parts of hospitals and to patients whose health status may be compromised. The compound is an irritant and can cause sensitisation

Glutaraldehyde is a colourless liquid with a pungent odour mostly used to sterilize medical and dental equipment or as an embalming fluid.

Glutaraldehyde is used in hospitals as a disinfectant or biocide. It is a popular disinfectant for endoscopes and other instruments for which heat sterilization is not feasible, and it is used as a histological fixative and for the treatment of verrucae and warts. 

Health effects.

Because glutaraldehyde is a liquid at room temperature it can affect the health of users as a vapour and through physical contact with the skin. Glutaraldehyde mainly affects the first body tissue it touches causing irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, lungs or skin. These are the most common effects of overexposure:

Teary eyes, burning nose, sore throat, coughing, and headache. Direct contact with liquid glutaraldehyde severely irritates the eyes and can cause permanent eye damage.

Safety and Detection

In order to ensure employees and the public are not exposed to dangerous levels of Glutaraldehyde in the air, it is advised to detect and monitor levels with a suitable detection instrument.

Battery powered and fully portable – the Glutaraldemeter 3 from PPM Technology will fit into the pocket of most lab coats. More accurate monitoring than sensor tubes or badges, quicker display of results with rapid sensor recovery for multi-use. No used sensor disposal issues & less wastage.

The Glutaraldemeter 3 is an easy-to-use, portable instrument that employs an electrochemical fuel-cell sensor to determine levels of glutaraldehyde vapour in air. The instrument provides a rapid direct read-out of vapour levels on an LCD display, making it a useful screening tool to complement existing routine chemical glutaraldehyde monitoring techniques.

Please visit www.ppm-technology.com for more information.