Hydrogen Peroxide vs Formalin technology Discussion Group 3

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Hydrogen Peroxide vs Formalin technologyDiscussio
n Group 3

• Steven Copping
• Health and Safety Executive

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Discussion Group

• Welcome and introduction
• Health and Safety Executive
• Aims of this session
• Overview
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Formaldehyde
• Key points for discussion
• Summary and outputs

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Health and Safety Executive

• Health and Safety Commission (HSC) regulates
  workplace HS in GB
• Sponsored by Dept Work and Pensions
• Health and Safety Executive (HSE) local
  government are HSCs enforcing authorities

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Mission

• "Our mission involves us (HSC and HSE) working
  with LAs to protect peoples health and safety by
  ensuring that risks in the changing workplace are
  properly controlled."

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Vision

• Our vision is to gain recognition of health and
  safety as a cornerstone of a civilised society,
  and with that, to achieve a record of workplace
  health and safety that leads the world."

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New HSE Strategy

• Sensible health and safety is a cornerstone of a
  civilised society
• Sensible health and safety is about managing
  risks, not eliminating them
• The people best placed to make workplaces safer
  are the staff and managers who work in them.They
  do this best by working together and
• HSE is committed to being a good partner
  working with others to improve health and safety

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Biological Agents Unit

• Promote high standards of biological safety
• Provide assurance to public, government and
  others that standards are being met
• Partner in the development and application of the
  biological sciences

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Responsibilities

• National inspection remit
• Management of statutory notification schemes for
  GM activities
• Technical support to other parts of HSE, local
  authorities and other government depts
• Development of standards and guidance

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Aims of this session

• Share knowledge and experience
• Changing workplace
• New technology
• Start a dialogue
• Goal is to achieve a consensus opinion
• Identify gaps in our knowledge and determine
  research needs
• Identify participants who would be interested in
  joining a community of practice and interest
  (CoPI)

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Personal agenda

• List of topic areas/ questions
• Approach industry
• Identify research needs
• Potential to sponsor
• Advertise CoPI
• Ongoing development and learning
• Finalise HSE guidance
• Available on HSE website

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Overview

• Hydrogen peroxide
• Formaldehyde
• Application
• Microbiological safety cabinets
• Containment level 3 laboratories
• Healthcare setting

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Hydrogen Peroxide

• 2H202 2H2O O2
• Hydrogen peroxide Water Oxygen

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HPA Rapid Review Panel (Healthcare setting)

• This is a system for decontaminating the
  environment using vapourised hydrogen peroxide.
• The biocide is well established but the method of
  delivery is new.
• It has potential application for fumigating
  rooms in clinical and pharmaceutical areas.
• Basic research and development has been completed
  and the product may have potential value. In use
  evaluations/trials are now needed.

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Wet versus Dry

• Dry (VHP)
• Concentration of VHP is maintained below the
  condensation point
• Four phases
• Dehumidification
• Conditioning
• Sterilisation
• Aeration

• Wet
• Layer of hydrogen peroxide micro-condensation on
  all exposed surfaces
• Three phases
• Pre-conditioning
• Gassing
• Aeration

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Efficacy and validation

• Broad spectrum, rapid antimicrobial
• Efficacy affected by presence of organic and
  inorganic materials (e.g. proteins, lipids)
• Presence of blood
• Mycobacterium species
• Catalase producers

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Validation

• Type, scope and source of contamination
• Reflect worst case conditions
• Most resistant organism on the most resistant
  material
• Documentation
• Risk assessment
• Information, instruction and training

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Fumigation

• Planned exercise
• Appropriate controls in place
• Named, trained personnel
• Agreed plan
• Method that is known to be effective in the
  circumstances of use

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Formaldehyde

• Advantages
• Claimed broad spectrum efficacy
• Inexpensive and easy to handle
• Effective against M. tuberculosis
• Disadvantages
• Slow acting, poor penetration
• Health effects
• Toxic, carcinogenic

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Health effects

• Exposure
• 0.1 5ppm
• burning of the eyes, tearing
• general irritation of upper respiratory passages
• 50-100ppm
• Pulmonary oedema, pneumonitis, death

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Carcinogenicity

• International Agency for Research on Cancer
  (IARC)
• Overall, the working group concluded that the
  results of the study of industrial workers in
  the USA, supported by the largely positive
  findings from other studies, provided sufficient
  epidemiological evidence that formaldehyde causes
  nasopharyngeal cancer in humans.

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HSCs advisory committee on toxic substances

• Working group on action to control chemicals
  (WATCH)
• Formaldehyde has probably caused nasopharyngeal
  cancer
• It is probable that formaldehyde exposure has
  caused nasopharyngeal cancer in humans, via a
  mechanism to which it can be predicted that
  chronic inflammation (provoked by irritancy) and
  genotoxicity contributed

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Formaldehyde

• HSE to produce further advice and guidance
• CHAN
• Possible re-classification
• Potential occupational carcinogen
• Prevent exposure
• Engineering controls
• Stringent work practices

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Key points for discussion (1)

• Formaldehyde
• Positives
• Concerns
• Health
• Carcinogenicity
• Environment
• Legal
• COSHH
• The Future

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Key Points for discussion (2)

• Hydrogen peroxide
• Application
• Key concerns
• What are the issues?
• Efficacy
• Sufficient peer review?
• Practicalities
• Use of fans
• Routine vs emergency fumigation

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Key points for discussion (3)

• Is Hydrogen peroxide a suitable alternative?
• Evidence base
• Experience
• How do we achieve suitable and sufficient
  validation?
• Next steps?
• CoPI

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Community of practice and interest

• Bio-decontamination CoPI
• Continue dialogue
• Develop a network of interested parties
• Learn from each other
• Keep up to date with future developments
• Valuable resource for anyone developing guidance

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Bio-decontamination CoPI

• Delegates and others are asked to express their
  interest in joining this CoPI by sending an email
  to
• germs.gmos_at_hse.gsi.gov.uk
• A formal invitation and password will then be
  supplied by the organiser
• Details on how to use the CoPI will appear when
  you first register

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Further contact

• Steve.copping_at_hse.gsi.gov.uk
• TEL (44) (0)151 951 3964