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Ethylene Oxide Analysis For Medical Equipment Sterilization

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Ethylene Oxide Analysis For Medical Equipment Sterilization

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Medical equipment that have components made from low temperature melting plastics, delicate optics, and moisture and temperature sensitive electronics cannot be sterilized by conventional heating methods. Instead, ethylene oxide (EO or EtO) gas is used since it readily penetrates through paper, cloth, cardboard and some plastic films. EtO is flammable and highly reactive and acute exposures to EtO gas can produce lung injury, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, shortness of breath, and cyanosis. Equally hazardous, chronic exposure to even low levels of EtO is associated with the occurrence of cancer, reproductive effects, mutagenic changes, neurotoxicity, and sensitization. Thus, for obvious reasons, it is important to monitor and control ambient levels of EtO in sterilization environments.

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