IC NEW: Disinfection properties of alcohol

IC NEW: Disinfection properties of alcohol

Both kind of alcohols are colorless liquids that evaporate at room temperature and have no residual effect. Alcohol has the ability to destroy bacteria, tuberculosis, fungi, and viruses. However, it cannot destroy bacterial spores. Alcohol is only an intermediate disinfectant, and the efficiency of alcohol's disinfection is greatly reduced if there is a lower concentration. Alcohol will be effective in killing bacteria when the concentration is about 70-90% by volume. The appropriate concentration of 2 types of alcohol is different. If it is Ethyl Alcohol, it can destroy viruses better than Isopropyl alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol is not capable to destroy hydrophilic viruses, including echovirus and coxsackie virus.

For hepatitis B elimination, The CDC recommends immersing tools in 70% ethyl alcohol for 15 minutes. For HIV, it takes about 1 minute. For bacteria and fungi, they take at least 10 minutes. For tuberculosis and other viruses, they take at least 10 minutes (but we don't know the specific pathogens, so we cannot detect all). Alcohol is an effective, safe, fast, and inexpensive disinfectant, which can be used to kill bacteria on oral and rectal thermometers.

However, alcohol dries out the skin. Alcohol evaporates easily, so the effectiveness will be reduced if the concentration is low. In term of using and storage of alcohol, we should be careful because alcohol will be ineffective when it is mixed with organic compound. Therefore, the tools must be cleaned thoroughly, wiped, and dried before using alcohol.

Alcohol can dissolve the substance that holds the lens and the device and cause a swelling or harden of rubber or plastic materials.

Alcohol is corrosive to metal. If you need to use with metal, 0.2% of sodium nitro should be added to the alcohol. Moreover, Alcohol is flammable. It should be stored in a sealed container and keep that container in a cool place with good ventilation.