Monitoraggio ambientale dell'acido peracetico in una azienda ospedaliera universitaria

Peroxyacetic acid is recently used for medical purposes, mainly for sterilizing of the instruments and it is tending to replace glutaraldehyde. After a survey performed in a hospital in Florence, it was pointed out that peroxyacetic acid formed from hydrogen peroxide and N-acetylcaprolactam reaction was used in fifteen operative units with 1-month consumption (February 2005) of 755L. Air monitoring was performed by active sampling in fifteen endoscope units in a hospital during the replacement of peroxyacetic acid solution in basins (eleven units) and automatic endoscope washing machines (four units). The analysis of the basic silica gel coating with methyl p-tolylsulfoxide (MTSO) was performed by liquid chromatography with UV detection of the methyl p-tolylsulfone (MTSOO) generated by the sampling of peroxyacetic acid. On the basis of a limit values of Institut National de Recherch et Sè curitè (INRS) the results obtained during this campaign of measurements are compared. We measured average environmental concentration values of peroxyacetic acid lower that 1110 of TLV-TWA and 1/4 of TLV-STEL. The highest level of peroxyacetic acid were observed in units where lavaendoscopes without aspirating hood were used.