Efficacy testing of airborne surface disinfection procedures according to EN 17272

FHH Brill, H Gabriel, D Paulmann

HosCom Hospital Communication, 2024 vol.21 no.2, pages 16 + 17

Background: For over 100 years, airborne disinfection processes have been employed as an alternative to complement manual surface disinfection methods involving spraying or wiping. The advantage of these airborne methods is that they can potentially reach all of the surfaces in a room. Recently, developments have seen various active substances and techniques added to the mix, including methods that use hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid, or ozone. Just like conventional disinfection procedures, all of these methods need to be tested for efficacy. However, the established methods for testing chemical surface disinfectants do not adequately reflect how these products are being used in practice.
Generally, these kinds of processes are used as complements to “standard” surface cleaning and disinfection, and they cannot replace these methods. They may be used in areas such as isolation rooms and operating theatres, as a useful addition to the routine disinfection process.