What to Know About Disinfectants

The disinfectants we use for personal hygiene because of the COVID-19 pandemic have become one of the most popular hygiene practices.

What is a disinfectant?

Antimicrobial agents used to maintain standard hygiene conditions and eliminate pathogenic microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses) that may pose a risk of infection.¹

While detergents or similar cleaning products are mostly used for removing dirt from the environment and for cleaning, the products used for disinfection (disinfectant, antiseptic, antibacterial cleaning liquid or solutions) provide the removal of microorganisms.²

Where are Hand and Skin Disinfectants Used?

They can be used anywhere with human contact, risk of infection.

• In protecting and maintaining personal hygiene,
• For first aid (scrubbing, cleaning),
• As an antibacterial cleansing agent for minor lacerations and scars on the skin,
• To help prepare the skin before injection,
• To clean the skin prior to insulin pen application,
• In cleaning after piercing and preventing infection around the piercing area in applications such as ear holes,
• In all cases where hand and skin hygiene is required after the use of all tools and equipment in common use.

What are some of the properties sought in disinfectants?¹

1. They should be bactericidal, virucide and fungicide.
2. They should dissolve easily in water,
3. Their effect should continue for a long time, and They should affect in a short time,
4. They should not be toxic and irritant,
5. They must be of good wetting quality.
6. They should not leave residue,
7. They should be effective at normal temperature and different temperatures,
8. They should be acceptable scented, no coloring or discoloring.
9. They should be easy to apply.
10. They must be products approved by the Ministry of Health of Republic of Turkey.

What are the Types of Disinfectants?

Disinfectants can be classified in different categories as mentioned below:

• According to the degree of affecting microorganisms (high, medium, low level)
• According to their mechanisms of action (those that affect the cell membrane, denature the cell proteins, effect by disrupting or altering the function of enzymes, disrupt the nucleic acids).
• According to their chemical structure (phenol and phenol compounds, chlorine and chlorine compounds, iodine and iodine compounds, aldehydes, alcohols (ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol), quaternary ammonium compounds, ammonium components and diguanides, hydrogen peroxide, ethylene oxide).
• According to usage areas (health and the others)

The most frequently and safely used one is alcohol-based hand disinfectants.

Alcohols:

They have virucide, bactericide and fungicide effects and have broad spectrum effects.

Alcohols are especially preferred in antisepsis due to their volatile properties and leaving no residue. Dilutions of 50-80% of alcohols can be used. As the water content decreases at higher concentrations, its denaturation property and thus its effect decreases. On the other hand, dilutions below 50% do not have sufficient effect.

Ethanol and isopropyl alcohol are frequently used with 70% dilutions.²

Resources:
1 https://www.das.org.tr/kitaplar/kitap2009/pdf/109-120%20Ufuk%20Abbasoglu.pdf
2. Deterjanlar ve Dezenfektanlar: Etki Mekanizmaları, Kullanım Alanları ve Sağlık Etkileri
M. M.Tengilimoğlu Metin, M. Kızıl. Turkiye Klinikleri J Nutr Diet-Special Topics. 2016;2(3):63-8
3 http://www.mikrobiyoloji.org/TR/Genel/BelgeKardes.aspx?F6E10F8892433CFFA79D6F5E6C1B43FF966558B052591965
http://www.kmo.org.tr/genel/bizden_detay.php?kod=5068
https://www.turkiyeklinikleri.com/article/tr-deterjanlar-ve-dezenfektanlar-etki-mekanizmalari-kullanim-alanlari-ve-saglik-etkileri-76575.html
https://www.das.org.tr/kitaplar/kitap2009/pdf/109-120%20Ufuk%20Abbasoglu.pdf
https://blog.gotopac.com/2017/05/15/why-is-70-isopropyl-alcohol-ipa-a-better-disinfectant-than-99-isopropanol-and-what-is-ipa-used-for/#What_Is_Isopropyl_Alcohol_and_How_Is_It_Used
#dezenfektan #dezenfeksiyon #hijyeniktemizlemesolüsyonu #hijyen #antiseptics #antiseptikler