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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Safety Precautions and Operating Procedures in an (A)BSL-4 Laboratory: 2. General Practices
Published on: October 3, 2016
Use of containment pans and lids for autoclaving caustic solutions
Stanley A Brown1, Katharine Merritt
1Division of Mechanics and Materials Science, Office of Science and Technology, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Food and Drug Administration, 9200 Corporate Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
Abstract:
As a means of decontaminating instruments possibly exposed to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the World Health Organization has recommended immersion and autoclaving in sodium hydroxide. However, this recommendation has raised concerns of possible damage to autoclaves, and hazards to operators as a result of the caustic vapors. A series of experiments has been conducted that demonstrate that there are containment pan-and-lid combinations in which instruments can be autoclaved in sodium hydroxide without risk to the autoclave or the operator.
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