the college station medical center
The dictionary definition of a disinfectant is an antimicrobial agent that kills or inactivates dangerous / harmful microorganisms.

Disinfectants can sometimes be mixed with sanitisers, the substances, the number of microorganisms to a safe level, but not completely destroyed all of them.

The main physiological difference between a sanitizer and a disinfectant is that at a certain dilution a disinfectant must be able to kill more microorganisms than a disinfectant.

One thing that most sanitisers and disinfectants are not capable of that sterilize to cause complete destruction of all microorganisms. In this case an autoclave should be used.

The problem that disinfectants have is that many of them toxic and harmful to humans and animals, it is recommended that they are always with the utmost caution. Many modern household disinfectants contain a substance called Bitrex this is a very bitter taste liquid. The idea of this is to prevent the absorption of the disinfectant of children and animals.

Any disinfectant that is used indoors should be (this also applies to homes, hospitals, dental surgeries) never with other cleaning agents, as chemical reactions may occur with the production of harmful gases. There have been many cases of humans mixing bleach with other products, the unconscious and of the gases released.

Depending on what it is that you want to disinfect affected the choice of disinfectant. Some disinfectants can destroy a wide spectrum of microorganisms, while others only kill a small area of germs.

Common disinfectants
There are many different types of disinfectants available for the various jobs and purposes.

Alcohol
Common alcohols such as ethanol and alcohol isopropano are used for their disinfectant properties, they are also often used in medical situations as an antiseptic. It is common for these two alcohols are directly on the skin - its advantage over other disinfectants is that they are not corrosive, but they represent a fire hazard, it should always be used with caution.

Oxidizers
Oxidizers such as bleach act by the cell membrane of an organism so that they die. Sodium hypo-chloride (household bleach) is an oxidant.

Other oxidizing agents are:

1. Chloramine in drinking water treatment.
2. Hydrogen peroxide is used in hospitals to disinfect surfaces, it is again a preferred disinfectant because they are too few allergic reactions.
3. Iodine is used in the poultry industry, it is mixed with water, add water birds.
4. Potassium permanganate (KMnO4) is a red crystalline powder, if water changes the color of water. It is in the disinfection of aquariums and ponds.

Medical disinfectants
Medical disinfectants are depending on the situation, but 2 common disinfectant in hospitals and clinics in the United Kingdom Ward are:

1. Hibiscrub is a pre-operative surgical hand scrub, both in hospitals and for its antiseptic and disinfectant properties.
2. Ebiox Trionic Spray is an alcohol-free multi-surface cleaner to kill a large number of micro-organisms including MRSA and E-coli.

This article was written by Ross Fraser and talks about the medical disinfectant