What Is the Meaning of Disinfectant?
Disinfectants are substances that play a big role in maintaining safe environments, foods, chemicals and waters. The antisepsis strength of disinfectants varies and is determined by health and government organizations using standardized tests.
There several health benefits of disinfectant, such as prevention of surgical equipment contamination, elimination of crop pests and maintenance of water potability. However, using disinfectants beyond the established safety level may also bring unwanted effects because disinfectants are chemical substances that destroy cellular organisms.
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Definition
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A disinfectant or antiseptic is a chemical substance that kills or prevents growth of microorganisms such as disease-causing bacteria.
According to "Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities" by Rutala and Webber, "Disinfection is a process that eliminates many microorganisms with the exception of bacterial spores." In other words, disinfectants doesn't sterilize or completely eliminate bacteria at once.
History
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The first known application of disinfectant dates back to 1865 when British surgeon Joseph Lister used carbolic acid to disinfect wounds, such as open wounds from accidents or during surgical operations. Thereafter, experts have invented numerous disinfectants such as antibacterial mouth wash, Listerine, which was named after Dr. Lister.
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Identification
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The antisepsis factor of a disinfectant may be measured in terms of disinfectant strength. This factor is different in every disinfectant, for instance, the disinfectant strength of an alcohol differs from that of a hand sanitizer. The difference between disinfectant strengths is due to the varying conditions of the standard tests used in evaluating the disinfectant. For instance, the targeted bacteria in a certain standard test is more difficult to kill than other test targets.
Efficacy
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The efficacy of disinfectants undergo various tests from organizations such as the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency), prior to release in the public market. There are sets of standard dosages or levels that indicate the optimum efficacy of a certain disinfectant. For instance, according to the EPA, "Five drops of 2 percent U.S. tincture iodine (household iodine from the medicine chest) to each quart or liter of clear water may be used to disinfect water."
Benefits
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Disinfectants, if used properly and in the right amounts, offer a wide array of health benefits. The common benefits include elimination of bacteria from wounds, prevention of infectious diseases, prevention of food contamination, elimination of pests in crops, ensuring the potability of water and maintaining safe pool water.
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