Case Study: Aerosol Disinfection in BSL Laboratories

Automated 3D surface and air disinfection via aerosol in a BSL laboratory.

• Areas treated: Laboratory rooms, interior wardrobe of the shower sluice containing a cabinet and a bench, as well as the supply and exhaust air ducts with their respective HEPA filters.
• Products used: Sanosil Q-Jet Superior (predecessor of Q-Jet CT20), Sanosil S015.
• Application method: System validation, stepwise application.

Scenario:

A BSL-4 laboratory is investigating whether the Q-Jet system with Sanosil S015 can replace the currently used formaldehyde fumigation method and be as effective as the hot steam H2O2 system (generated from 30% H₂O₂). To evaluate this, foot-and-mouth disease viruses and bioindicators with 10⁶ spores of Geobacillus stearothermophilus will be subjected to fumigation.

Key Points:

The current system using vaporized formaldehyde is simple, highly effective, and cost-effective. However, it is highly problematic from a toxicological perspective and is carcinogenic. After formaldehyde fumigation, a room must remain unused for approximately 4 days until residues decrease below critical levels.

Implementation:

Various cycles and dosages are tested. It is found that foot-and-mouth disease viruses are highly resistant to disinfection measures, necessitating a multi-stage disinfection program with the aerosol device. However, bacterial endospores show reductions of up to Log-6.

Result:

Repeated tests demonstrate that the Q-Jet / S015 concept can successfully combat even difficult-to-eliminate pathogens and represents a validated alternative to vaporized formaldehyde. Rooms can be safely re-entered after 24 hours, whereas formaldehyde requires up to 4 days before safe re-entry is possible.