Friday, May 1, 2009

05. Decontamination

Staph is a quorum-sensing bacteria. Which means that it "intelligently" uses teamwork to form biofilm colonies (like dental or arterial plaque). And once it does, it can then collectively launch a more virulent attack using its greater strength in numbers.

The significance of this for "decon" is that biofilms form most easily on warm, dank areas of the skin or hard surfaces (like toilet bowls). Which depending upon the surface material, may linger for some very appreciably long times!
MRSA survivors remained at detectable levels for 8 weeks on acrylic fingernails, 6 weeks on computer keyboard covers and 5 days on bed linen.
This is why skin disinfection is the top priority in fighting Staph. But, after that, bathrooms, locker rooms, and some kitchen areas probably come next. Surprisingly to some, fabrics come last here. Reason being that biofilms don't form well on dry fabrics (not that laundry should be ignored).

Also, if you happen to keep getting reinfections in the same area of your body - then likely either you have a stubborn colonization there or it may regularly be in sweaty or contact pressure against a particular, contaminated item. For example, a golf bag shoulder strap, other athletic equipment, or the front edge of your seat!

Bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite/NaOCl):
Dilute with water in a spray bottle for ease-of-use. Note that once mixed with water, bleach breaks down into salts within about 24 hours. So, you have to make a new batch daily. In addition, note that bleach has a shelf life of six months and then "starts to degrade." Each year you keep the bleach around, it loses 20% of its effectiveness.
Byotrol
Employs spiky & extremely slippery microscopic coatings to kill or prevent bacterial colonization on surfaces.
Chlorine Dioxide (ClO2):
MMS or Selectrocide
Rubbing (Isopropyl) Alcohol:
Easiest method here is to dump a bottle of rubbing alcohol into a spray bottle and use as required. Germ Warfare is a mostly alcohol-based line of sanitation products.
Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2):
Also great to use in a spray bottle. And pour some of it in each laundry load too, along with some borax and baking soda as well..
Dry Steam:
The chemical-free, low-moisture heat is safe for all surfaces in your home AND safe for your family yet the technology is proven to be lethal to mold, mildew, dust mites and germs including MRSA, salmonella, type-A influenzas including H1N1, and staph among others. The dry steam vapor also has the ability to penetrate the microscopic pores in every surface and disinfect inside these pores, where even the strongest topical cleaners cannot reach.
EcoBox:
ActivePure is proven in University studies to kill up to 99.99% of bacteria, viruses, and mold on surfaces,* including MRSA antibiotic resistant Staph
Ozonated Water:
Sanitizing towels, linens, and surfaces with ozonated water has been shown to be extremely effective in the reduction of Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria and its more drug-resistant and harder to treat strain known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

Research and real world application studies conducted by members of the International Ozone Association (IOA), their customers and testing agencies have shown ambient temperature wash of laundry and surfaces with ozonated water to be effective at reducing pathogenic organisms including Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria and MRSA by up to 99.999999%.
UV:
Is certified to kill 99.99 per cent of the potentially deadly H5N1 strain of avian flu in five seconds, and harmful bacteria, such as MRSA, E.coli and salmonella, in 10 seconds.
By using "multi-wavelength" UV technology, combining UVA, UVB and UVC rays, manufacturers say the light is more effective than standard UV disinfection products at killing the DNA of viruses, bacteria and fungi.
Independent third party laboratory tests confirm that the Verilux CleanWave® UV-C Sanitizing Wand eliminates up to 99.9% of H1N1 and MRSA on surfaces. More broad based testing of UV-C light has shown it to be very effective at eliminating a vast array of viruses, bacteria, dust mites and mold on surfaces.
Steri-X:
The world's finest biocidal solution proven to kill pathogenic bacteria, including the MRSA 'superbug' (99.99% = 5 log reduction within 30 seconds)
NTU Virus Bom
The NTU Virus Bom compound can kill nano-virus and micro-bacteria at the same time
Ingenium:
CleanWell’s proprietary, fast-acting, broad-spectrum antimicrobial active ingredient created from a patented blend of natural thyme and other essential plant oils.
Copper:
The University of Southampton team found the superbug was unable to survive on copper alloy surfaces for longer than 90 minutes.
yellow brass rendered the bacteria completely harmless after four and a half hours.
Copper alloys were the best, destroying MRSA in as little as an hour and a half.
You'll notice that one of the main classes of disinfectants are oxidants (bleach, chlorine dioxide, hydrogen peroxide, EcoBox, ozonated water, UV, etc). This is because their chemical reactions strip away enough electrons to kill germs...while stressing, but not killing our body cells (which are usually much larger).

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