Autoclaves and their dangers and safety in laboratories

Gillespie, E. H.; Gibbons, S. A.

doi:10.1017/s0022172400024517

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…and over is found to impair this property. Gillespie & Gibbons (1975) have commented on dangers of overheating media in laboratory autoclaves. Lesser degrees of heat sterilization may also prevent growth of small numbers of certain common pathogenic bacteria if faecal matter is not present.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation ofShigella sonneiby fluid media

Price

1976

J. Hyg.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Selenite F broth prepared in the laboratory from single ingredients was found to be significantly more efficient than nutrient broth in the isolation of Shigella sonnei from human faeces. It was more efficient than direct plating on deoxycholate citrate agar for diagnosisng Sonne dysentery in a local outbreak. The difference was significant. There was, however, no significant advantage for enrichment over direct plating when stools posted from Briston to Cardiff were examined. Laboratory prepared selenite F broth was preferable to the same medium purchased commercially from two different firms. The product of one frim was significantly better than that of the other. Two methods of sterilization of laboratory prepared selenite F broth were studied. Seitz filtered selenite was less inhibitory to the growth of samll numbers of Shigella sonnei. Sterilization by heating in free steam for periods of 15 min and over impaired the ability of selenite F broth to allow multiplication of small numbers of Shigella sonnei.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Isolation ofShigella sonneiby fluid media

Price

1976

J. Hyg.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Experimental results suggest that, rather than hastening air removal, the addition of water to a container prolongs the heat penetration time (Gillespie and Gibbons, 1975).…”

Section: The Containermentioning

confidence: 99%

Autoclaving practice in microbiology laboratories: report of a survey. The Public Health Laboratory Service Subcommittee on laboratory autoclaves.

1978

J Clin Pathol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARY The performance of autoclaves in 27 laboratories, operated in accordance with the normal routine of local practice, has been monitored using thermometric equipment. Sterilising performance was unsatisfactory on 10 of 62 occasions, and cooling was inadequate on 52 of 60 occasions.As part of the general concern over safety standards, laboratories in the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) were encouraged to obtain thermometric equipment to monitor the performance of their autoclaves. This provided an opportunity to discover whether, when the autoclaves were operated in accordance with the normal practices in use in those laboratories at the time of acquisition of the equipment, sterilising performance was satisfactory and cooling of the loads was adequate to allow the autoclaves to be opened safely. The results of a survey of these aspects of autoclaving practice in 27 laboratories are reported here. Survey material LABORATORIES AND AUTOCLAVESIn all, 46 downward-displacement autoclaves in 27 laboratories were tested. Twenty-four of the autoclaves were vertical and cylindrical, and 22 were horizontal. Some were the responsibility of the PHLS Board, some of Area Health Authorities and, in one case, of a university department.Twenty-three of the laboratories were engaged, to a varying extent, in clinical microbiology and four were reference laboratories in special microbiology. MethodTests were made when the autoclaves were loaded, operated, and unloaded in their normal manner according to local custom and practice. Most temperature measurements were made with copper/ constantan thermocouples (02 mm diameter) insulated with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) but unsheathed. Usually these could be led into the autoclave chamber between the door and the seal. They were inserted at those points in the load where experience had shown that performance was likely to be unsatisfactory as regards either sterilising or subsequent cooling. For example, when testing the processing of discarded cultures, a thermocouple was placed inside one of the cultures making up the load, and this was placed at the centre and about one-third of the way up the discard container. Similarly, when observing cooling times, thermocouples were placed in the largest units of volume making up the load since it was in these that cooling was likely to be most prolonged.Thermocouple signals were recorded on a suitable instrument; these were checked at intervals against a mercury-in-glass thermometer which had been certified by the National Physical Laboratory.Not surprisingly, the choice of sterilising temperatures or times among the laboratories was not uniform, thus making comparison difficult. Furthermore, distinction has to be drawn between the treatment given to discarded cultures and other materials that have to be sterilised to make them safe, and that accorded to culture media which require to be heated to the minimum temperature and for the time which experience will have shown 418

show abstract

“…Pressure steam sterilization is generally used to decontaminate biomedical waste before discarding it because it is practical, effective, and one of the less expensive ways of doing it (1,4). However, previous studies on the processing conditions required to obtain optimal waste decontamination have produced paradoxical results (3,4,6), making an optimal steam waste decontamination protocol difficult to establish.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Researchers have previously reported that addition of water to bags before autoclaving did not decrease heat-up time (3,6). Others have reported paradoxical results (4).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Packaging and Processing Conditions on the Decontamination of Laboratory Biomedical Waste by Steam Sterilization

Ozanne

Huot

Montpetit

1993

Appl Environ Microbiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The conditions for optimal steam decontamination of polypropylene bags half loaded with laboratory biomedical waste were studied (276 bags were processed). Controls were single-closed bags without water added or incisions made in the top, standing freely in an autoclave set at 121°C. The average time required to reach 121°C at the load center was 46 min for controls. A significant increase in this time occurred following addition of water to bags without incisions (60 min), with double bagging (60 min), or when using vertical containers (82 min). A significant decrease occurred when bags were slashed (37 min) or processed at 123°C (32 min) or 132°C (19 min). Horizontal containers or addition of water to slashed bags had no significant effect.

show abstract

Autoclaves and their dangers and safety in laboratories

Cited by 9 publications

References 1 publication

Isolation ofShigella sonneiby fluid media

Isolation ofShigella sonneiby fluid media

Autoclaving practice in microbiology laboratories: report of a survey. The Public Health Laboratory Service Subcommittee on laboratory autoclaves.

Influence of Packaging and Processing Conditions on the Decontamination of Laboratory Biomedical Waste by Steam Sterilization

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About