Safety assessment of residual amounts of disinfectants based on quaternary ammonium compounds on medical devices

Abstract

Has been made an assessment of the toxicity of residual amounts of disinfectants after using them on products, made from various materials, with DS solutions based on QAC. The working solutions were used in concentrations from 0.3 to 7 % (by DV). The safety of the studied samples was assessed by the toxicity index "It" (in%) on an AT-05 Image Analyzer. Washing out of the residual amounts of DS in concentrations of 0.3–0.7 % (by DW) did not significantly affect the total time of disinfection treatment or pre-sterilization cleaning. At higher concentrations of solutions, there were differences in the time of washing test items and dishes for receiving safe amounts of DS. It is concluded that it is inexpedient to use solutions based on QAC in a concentration of more than 4.5 % (in terms of DV) for disinfection treatment and pre-sterilization cleaning of products made of natural and silicone rubber. Keywords: disinfectants, quaternary ammonium compounds, product washing, AT-05 image analyzer, to­xicity index.