What elements need to be met for good ethylene oxide sterilization effect?

Ethylene oxide sterilization is a more commonly used method of sterilization, which can be applied to the sterilization of different items. To achieve a good sterilization effect, ethylene oxide sterilization needs to meet the following five elements. To

1. Temperature

The temperature of ethylene oxide sterilization will be controlled at 37℃-60℃, and the commonly used temperature is 50±5℃. Within a certain range, as the temperature increases, the penetration of EO increases, and the sterilization effect of ethylene oxide will also increase. By increasing the temperature appropriately, the sterilization concentration of ethylene oxide can be reduced and the sterilization time can be shortened.

2. Pressure

The degree of pre-vacuum directly affects the sterilization effect. The deeper the vacuum, the easier it is for the ethylene oxide gas, heat and steam to reach the inside of the sterilized items, and the better the sterilization effect. The pre-vacuum should consider the following factors: the impact on the sterilized items and packaging, the time required for the pre-vacuum, and the impact on humidity.

3. Humidity

Humidity will also have a certain influence on the effect of sterilization, and it is usually controlled within the range of 30%RH to 80%RH. When the humidity is low, ethylene oxide is not conducive to penetrating into the inside of the microorganisms, and it is not conducive to the propagation of spores, which affects the sterilization effect; when the humidity is high, the ethylene oxide gas is easily diluted or hydrolyzed, which will also affect Sterilization effect.

4. Concentration

The concentration of ethylene oxide gas is an important factor affecting the sterilization effect, and the sterilization effect can be improved by increasing the concentration. Within a certain concentration range and other conditions such as temperature and humidity are the same, as the concentration increases, the shorter the time required to kill a certain number of microorganisms, the better the sterilization effect. Under normal circumstances, it will be controlled within the range of 300～1000mg/L.

5. Sterilization time

Under relative conditions, the longer the ethylene oxide sterilization time, the better the sterilization effect.

The five major elements of ethylene oxide sterilization are temperature, pressure, humidity, sterilization concentration and sterilization time. Only when the above five elements are met, the ethylene oxide sterilization effect can reach the maximum degree, otherwise the effect will be greatly reduced.