The Use of Foam Substances for Disinfection

Abstract

Foams provide another method of applying disinfectant under laboratory and field conditions. They can act as anti-epidemic measures for the prevention of infectious diseases by stopping spread in a sporadic as well as an epidemic way. Foam preparations have the following advantages: a high efficiency and dynamic impact, a sufficiently long contact time of the foam with a surface, minimal consumption of chemicals and water, readily removed, only a small amount of waste, complete coverage and the homogeneity of the layer is easily seen and there is minimal drenching of surfaces. In addition foams may be used in places with difficult access, to disinfect complex ragged surfaces and to disinfect vertical smooth surfaces. Foam disinfectants contain active ingredients (chlorine, oxygen, quaternary ammonium compounds) and various foaming bases with some content of tensides. Foam mixtures have been used in sanitary as well as unsanitary places around several locations of the Czech Republic. Very good results were obtained after disinfection in intensive care units which led to 90% reduction of Streptococcus epidermidis, sporulates, coliform bacteria and moulds. Finally, foam substances have been tested for decontamination of personnel, surfaces, transport and combat equipment that have possibly been contaminated with highly virulent agents. We have tried to find the composition of a foam mixture that would effectively decontaminate infection with Bacillus subtilis spores. Laboratory experiments on model systems have been very promising and pave the way to extend the results to systems contaminated with Bacillus anthracis spores.