Evaluation of the efficiency of autoclaving healthcare waste using biological and chemical indicators

Abstract

Autoclaving is among the techniques used to treat health services waste belonging to the most applied group of biohazards and sharps. However, a shortcoming of the autoclaving treatment involves the operational parameters and appropriate frequen-cy for monitoring the process because there is limited scientific evidence for using the optimal parameters. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of the autoclaving process, using biological and chemical indicators, at different temperatures and exposure times, in three enterprises that provide services of auto-claving health care waste. To this end, partnerships were signed with three private enterprises and an operational procedure was developed to conduct real-scale tests under three different scenarios, using temperatures of 150, 132, and 125°C at 15-min exposure times and reduced exposure times (4 or 10 min). The results showed that among the three projects, a statistically significant difference between exposure times of 15 min and 4 min of the healthcare waste under Scenario 2, at a temperature of 132°C, only occurred in one case. However, modification of the exposure time and/or operational temperature requires further studies as well as confirmation from an environmental agency.