Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide-Based Biodecontamination of a High-Containment Laboratory under Negative Pressure

Abstract

The authors evaluated vaporized hydrogen peroxide as an alternative to formaldehyde for space biodecontamination in a containment level 3 laboratory suite. The laboratory air pressure during the biodecontamination process was maintained at a slightly negative pressure. This was done as a preventive measure to ensure that hazardous vaporized hydrogen peroxide would not escape during the process. Parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, vaporized hydrogen peroxide concentration, and pressure within the laboratory suite were monitored during the biodecontamination. The success of the decontamination process was validated using spores of G. stearothermophilus, the most resistant microorganism to vaporized hydrogen peroxide (Kokubo et al., 1998; Meszaros, 2005; Rickloff & Orelski, 1989). This research demonstrates the usefulness of vaporized hydrogen peroxide as a space biodecontaminant.